A secret cyber-attack that took place against Iran during June wiped out a significant database that Iran’s paramilitary arm uses, in order to plan attacks against oil tankers. This attack degraded Tehran’s capability of covertly targeting shipping traffic in the Persian Gulf, at least temporarily, senior American officials told the New York Times.
As the New York Times reported, after the attack Iran is trying to recover information that was destroyed, as well as restart some of the computer systems. The latter include military communications networks, which were taken offline, according to officials.
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In addition, senior officials analyzed the results of the strike, partly to address doubts within the US Government regarding whether the benefits of the operation were more than the cost. The cost is believed to be lost intelligence, as well as lost access to an important network used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iran’s paramilitary forces.
The US and Iran are engaged for a long time in an undeclared cyber-conflict, which is carefully remains within the gray zone between war and peace.
As far as the June 20 attack is concerned, it is a critical attack in this battle, and it proceeded even after President Trump called off a retaliatory airstrike that day after Iran shot down an American drone.
