Could Iran Be Behind the Online Attacks on US Banks?
This week, a group monitoring cyber-attacks against the U.S. financial industry called, The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, raised its security status citing "recent credible intelligence regarding the potential” for internet based attacks.
The FS-ISAC has not responded to emails or phone calls from CNBC.
In the last few years, reports have surfaced saying the United States and Israel were possibly behind a series of computer attacks targeting the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Programs like Stuxnet, Flame, and another program that blasted music by ACDC when Iranian engineers turned on their computers has not been traced back to any country, corporation or individual.
Regardless, experts on cyber warfare have said the danger in launching these kinds of attacks is that just like with a missile or physical weapon, the technology can be reverse engineered and directed outward.
Cilluffo has warned that the U.S. was neither equipped nor prepared for government sponsored attacks on web infrastructure.
While suspicion points to Iran in the attacks directed at U.S. banks, it’ll take some time before any definite proof is uncovered. But Cilluffo said, “It is definitely possible to find the smoking keyboard. And Iran feels like it owes us one.”
