All
because of the Mohammed video, you see. The protests are everywhere
in the Muslim world but the attacks on our banks, whose hands are
squeaky clean when it comes to this video, are from none other than
Iran.
- Jenna Orkin
Officials
see Iran, not outrage over film, behind cyber attacks on US banks
National
security officials told NBC News that the continuing cyber attacks
this week that slowed the websites of JPMorgan Chase and Bank of
America are being carried out by the government of Iran. One of those
sources said the claim by hackers that the attacks were prompted by
the online video mocking the Prophet Muhammad is just a cover story.
21
September, 2012
A
group of purported hackers in the Middle East has claimed credit for
problems at the websites of both banks, citing the online video
mocking the founder of Islam. One security source called that
statement "a cover" for the Iranian government's
operations.
The
attack is described by one source, a former U.S. official familiar
with the attacks, as being "significant and ongoing" and
looking to cause "functional and significant damage." Also,
one source suggested the attacks were in response to U.S. sanctions
on Iranian banks.
The
consumer banking website of Bank of America was unavailable to some
customers on Tuesday, and JPMorgan Chase on Wednesday had the same
problems, which multiple sources linked to a denial-of-service
attack, in which a website is bogged down by a large number of
requests. A Chase spokesman said Wednesday that the consumer site was
intermittently unavailable to some customers, but did not acknowledge
then that there was an attack. On Thursday, Chase said slowness
continued but was resolved by late afternoon Eastern Time. Bank of
America acknowledged on Tuesday that its site had experienced
slowness, but would not say what caused it.
Senior
U.S. officials acknowledge that Iranian attacks have been the subject
of intense interest by U.S. intelligence for several weeks. Last
week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff's Intelligence Directorate, known as
J-2, confirmed continuing Iranian cyber attacks against U.S.
financial institutions in a report described as "highly
classified." The report was posted on internal classified U.S.
government sites last Friday, September 14.
Because
of the level of classification, the officials refused to provide or
confirm any specifics on these attacks. However, one official noted
that Iran's uranium enrichment program had been the target of the
STUXNET worm in 2010. The worm was reportedly developed by the U.S.
and Israel. "The Iranians are very familiar with the
environment,” quipped the official.
A
conservative website, FreeBeacon.com, initially reported on the
Pentagon analysis, quoting it as saying, “Iran’s cyber
aggression should be viewed as a component, alongside efforts like
support for terrorism, to the larger covert war Tehran is waging
against the west.” U.S officials did not deny the FreeBeacon report
when queried by NBC News.
A
financial services industry group, the Financial Services
Information Sharing and Analysis Center, warned U.S. banks,
brokerages and insurers late Wednesday to be on heightened alert for
cyber attacks. FS-ISAC also raised its raised the cyber threat level
to "high" from "elevated" in an advisory to
members, citing "recent credible intelligence regarding the
potential" for cyber attacks as its reason for the move.
The
former head of cyber-security for the White House testified Thursday
that “we were waiting for something like this from Iran.” Frank
Cilluffo, who served as Special Assistant to the President for
Homeland Security under President George W. Bush, is currently an
associate vice president at George Washington University and heads
the Homeland Security Policy Institute. Cilluffo testified in a
previously scheduled appearance before the U.S. House of
Representatives’ Committee on Homeland Security, saying “the
government of Iran and its terrorist proxies are serious concerns in
the cyber context. What Iran may lack in capability, it makes up for
in intent. They do not need highly sophisticated capabilities—just
intent and cash—as there exists an arms bazaar of cyber weapons,
allowing Iran to buy or rent the tools they need or seek.”
The
statement by the purported Muslim hackers, posted on Tuesday on
Pastebin, an online bulletin board, reads in full: "In the name
of Allah the companionate the merciful. My soul is devoted to you
Dear Prophet of Allah. Dear Muslim youths, Muslims Nations and are
noblemen. When Arab nations rose against their corrupt regimes (those
who support Zionist regime) at the other hand when, Crucify infidels
are terrified and they are no more supporting human rights. United
States of America with the help of Zionist Regime made a Sacrilegious
movie insulting all the religions not only Islam. All the Muslims
worldwide must unify and Stand against the action, Muslims must do
whatever is necessary to stop spreading this movie. We will attack
them for this insult with all we have. All the Muslim youths who are
active in the Cyber world will attack to American and Zionist Web
bases as much as needed such that they say that they are sorry about
that insult. We, Cyber fighters of Izz ad-din Al qassam will attack
the Bank of America and New York Stock Exchange for the first step.
These Targets are properties of American-Zionist Capitalists. This
attack will be started today at 2 pm. GMT. This attack will continue
till the Erasing of that nasty movie. Beware this attack can vary in
type. Down with modern infidels. Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the
Greatest."
There
was no report of an attack on the New York Stock Exchange.
Also
on Thursday, the U.S. disclosed that it has bought $70,000 worth of
air time on seven Pakistani television channels to air an ad which
shows President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
denouncing the anti-Islamic video. In the ad, President Obama says,
"Since our founding the United States has been a nation that
respects all faiths. We reject all efforts to denigrate religious
beliefs of others." Clinton appears after Obama and says, "Let
me state very clearly that the United States has absolutely nothing
to do with this video. We absolutely reject its contents. America's
commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of
our nation."
Pakistan
was added Wednesday to the State Department's list of countries to
which Americans should avoid travel, joining Lebanon and Tunisia,
following protests across the Middle East and North Africa and the
attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which American
Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed.
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