In an investigation that lasted several months, it became clear that Russian cyber attackers, believed to be the Turla group, targeted an Iranian spy group and used their tools and computer infrastructure to collect data and compromise further systems. The attacks targeted military establishments, government departments, scientific organizations, and universities in 35 countries around the world, many in the Middle East, as well as in the UK and the US. The incident demonstrates an increasingly complex world of cyber operations, with state backed hackers constantly developing new attacks and methods to better cover their tracks.
Russia and Iran are ranked as two of the most dangerous threats in cyberspace, alongside China and North Korea. The attacks raise the concern of plausible deniability, which is an ongoing issue in the increasingly complex cyber warfare environment, given that cyber space has its own regulations when it comes to international actions relating to war. While both Russia and Iran have denied their role in the cyber-attacks, UK and US intelligence officials have brought attention to the matter because they want to send a clear message: even when cyber attackers seek to mask their identities, they will ultimately be identified.
