US blames Iran for cyber attack on Albania

The United States has blamed Iran for a cyber attack carried out against Albania.

It said it would “take further action to hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten the security of a US ally and set a troubling precedent for cyberspace”.

The Albanian government on Wednesday severed diplomatic ties with Iran and ordered Iranian embassy staff to leave, accusing it of orchestrating a major cyberattack on July 15th.

The White House said the US had “concluded that the Government of Iran conducted this reckless and irresponsible cyberattack and that it is responsible for subsequent hack and leak operations”.

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The Albanian government on Wednesday said that on July 15th the country became the target of a heavy cyberattack on its digital infrastructure “in a bid to destroy it, paralyse public services and hack data and electronic communications from the government systems”.

It said the attack had failed its purpose.

“Damages may be considered minimal compared to the goals of the aggressor. All systems came back fully operational and there was no irreversible wiping of data. ”

The US said it “strongly condemned Iran’s cyberattack against our Nato ally Albania”.

It added: “We join in prime minister Edi Rama’s call for Iran to be held accountable for this unprecedented cyber incident. The United States will take further action to hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten the security of a US ally and set a troubling precedent for cyberspace.

“For weeks, the US government has been on the ground working alongside private sector partners to support Albania’s efforts to mitigate, recover from, and investigate the July 15 cyberattack that destroyed government data and disrupted government services to the public. We have concluded that the Government of Iran conducted this reckless and irresponsible cyberattack and that it is responsible for subsequent hack and leak operations.

“Iran’s conduct disregards norms of responsible peacetime State behaviour in cyberspace, which includes a norm on refraining from damaging critical infrastructure that provides services to the public. Albania views impacted government networks as critical infrastructure. Malicious cyber activity by a State that intentionally damages critical infrastructure or otherwise impairs its use and operation to provide services to the public can have cascading domestic, regional, and global effects; pose an elevated risk of harm to the population; and may lead to escalation and conflict. ”

The United States said it would continue to support Albania’s remediation efforts over the longer-term, adding: “We invite partners and allies to join us in holding malicious cyber actors accountable and building a secure and resilient digital future.”