Cyberwarfare expert warns how Iranian hackers could attack America
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a statement read by a television presenter that his country will not accept President Donald Trump 's call for an unconditional surrender. After refusing demands to give up their nuclear program, Iran has warned that the US joining the conflict would mean 'all-out war.' In the digital realm, Knight revealed that this could mean multiple teams of Iranian hackers targeting key US lifelines, including banks, power grids, oil pipelines and even hospitals. 'I wouldn't be surprised if they try and start attacking us. Crypto exchanges, US banking infrastructure - that wouldn't surprise me,' the Knight said.
Knight, a security expert for DigitalWarfare.com, works with companies and government agencies to test their cyber defenses. Organizations hire 'pen testers' like Knight to break through their security on purpose to see where they are vulnerable. The digital guru revealed that he has already been contacted by organizations regarding the potential of an Iranian cyberattack against American businesses. Knight explained that the likeliest target of a cyberattack will come against major power plants and energy production facilities, aimed at causing chaos throughout the US rather than inflicting lasting harm.
'It would be the revenge, tit for tat, sort of attacks,' he said. 'Taking things down, causing blackouts.' However, Knight explained that each Iranian cyber unit specializes in a different type of target, and some are more focused on targeting everyday Americans by stealing their private information, passwords and breaking into large networks like hospitals. 'There's no security in these hospitals and healthcare systems. So yeah, that's a very soft target,' Knight warned.
He added that hackers could break into a hospital receptionist's computer and gain access to critical medical devices in ICUs, shutting down life-saving equipment across the US. Meanwhile, some hackers are expected to target American financial centers, including major banks, payment processing companies, and digital currency platforms. 'It's really about revenge and disruption. They know that it's not going to have a long-term impact,' Knight noted.
'They're not going to take down the US. They're not going to take down individuals. They're just looking to create pain,' he continued. As for what the public can do to protect themselves from these more direct attacks, Knight echoed the same critical measures you should take to defend against any hacker. 'Be vigilant. That's the most important thing, really. Be careful of the emails you're receiving,' he said.
'Make sure you're setting strong passwords, that you're not reusing [them].' Additionally, Knight said everyone should be regularly updating their computers and mobile devices with the latest security updates they receive. Americans can also immediately switch to multi-factor authentication, which adds another layer of security, by sending a secret code to a person's phone or email when they log into certain sites.
Knight also recommended using passkeys to log into your devices, a new type of security method that takes verifying your identity to the next level. Passkeys are a passwordless, phishing-resistant technology using cryptographic keys stored on a user's devices and are authenticated using biometrics, like a fingerprint, face scan or a PIN. While it's impossible to know whether an Iranian hacker is targeting your computer or emails, Knight said that the country won't stay quiet about breaching US defenses for long.
'They're going to take credit for it immediately, they're not afraid to give a lot of love. They always like to boast how they're going to do something, even if it never happens,' Knight claims. Although Knight said that the Iranian cyber units are 'highly skilled' and have been carrying out these kinds of attacks for years, he believes the US government's cybersecurity teams are well prepared to counter the potential threat. He added Iran is already under attack by Israeli cyber units, who he called the best in the world at the art of digital warfare.
However, he said that Iran does have an ace up their sleeve: their hackers have already installed harmful malware inside American computer networks in preparation for this looming war. 'Hackers can be in systems for literally years. That's what every hacking group is going to try to do. They get in, they get persistent access, they harden systems, embed themselves undetected, and they'll sit there literally for years and years, and maybe it never gets used,' Knight explained.
He added that these malicious programs are only going to be activated when Iran thinks 'it's absolutely necessary' or when the country has nothing left to lose in a fight with the US. 'That hacking group will burn the system, and as soon as it's used, it can't be used again,' Knight explained. Despite the desperate and short-term nature of these attacks, Knight cautioned that Americans still need to be ready if Iran attacks through the internet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
16 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Jimmy Kimmel obtained Italian citizenship in response to Trump's ‘unbelievable' re-election
Jimmy Kimmel has revealed he acquired Italian citizenship due to Donald Trump's presidency, the latest in a wave of celebrities to make contingency plans after his re-election in 2024. Speaking on The Sarah Silverman Podcast, the US late night host confirmed the news. Italian news agency Ansa confirmed that Kimmel had obtained Italian citizenship earlier this year after proving his ancestral lineage. 'A lot of people I know are thinking about, where are they going to get citizenship?' Silverman said, of the wider exodus in response to Trump's re-election. 'I did get Italian citizenship,' Kimmel said. 'What's going on is as bad as you thought it was gonna be. It's so much worse – it's just unbelievable. I feel like it's probably even worse than he would like it to be.' In June, Kimmel spoke of his heritage at an Italian Republic Day event in Los Angeles, telling the audience that his grandfather's parents moved to New York from Ischia, an island off the coast of Naples, after an earthquake in 1883 killed most of their family. 'I have just obtained citizenship, thanks to my beloved grandmother Edith, whose family came from Candida, in the province of Avellino. She used to repeat to me, 'You have the brain of a hamster!'' he reportedly told the audience. Rosie O'Donnell moved to Ireland in January, while Ellen DeGeneres recently confirmed she and her wife, the actor Portia de Rossi, decided to relocate to the UK after Trump's election last year. 'It's clean,' DeGeneres said, of the UK. 'Everything here is just better – the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.' She also expressed concern for the future of LGBTQ+ rights in the US, hinting that she and De Rossi may get married again in the UK due to the possibility that same-sex marriage could be overturned in the US. Kimmel is among a cohort of late night hosts, including John Oliver, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who regularly use their shows as a platform to criticise the Trump administration. In May, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was controversially axed by CBS, not long after he criticised the network's decision to settle a $16m lawsuit with Trump on-air. CBS has denied it was a politically motivated decision, but Trump did not disguise his pleasure at the news, writing on social media: 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!' A few days later, he wrote: 'The word is, and it's a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, [Jimmy] Fallon will be gone.' Speaking on Silverman's show, Kimmel said former Trump supporters who found themselves in opposition to his agenda in office should be supported. 'Now you see these clips of Joe Rogan saying, 'Why is he doing this? Why are you deporting people?' And people go, 'Fuck you! You supported him.' I don't buy into that,' Kimmel said. 'The door has to stay open. If you want to change your mind, that's so hard to do. If you want to admit you were wrong, that is so hard and so rare to do. You are welcome.'
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Judge to hear arguments on halting 'Alligator Alcatraz' construction over environmental concerns
A federal judge is set to hear closing arguments Wednesday over whether to stop construction indefinitely at an immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' as she considers whether it violates environmental laws. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a two-week halt on new construction last Thursday as witnesses continued to testify in a hearing to determine whether construction should end until the ultimate resolution of the case. The temporary order doesn't include any restrictions on law enforcement or immigration enforcement activity at the center, which is currently holding hundreds of detainees. The center, which was quickly built two months ago at a lightly used, single-runway training airport, is designed to eventually hold up to 3,000 detainees in temporary tent structures. The order temporarily barred the installation of any new industrial-style lighting, as well as any paving, filling, excavating, fencing or erecting additional buildings, tents, dormitories or other residential or administrative facilities. Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe want Williams to issue a preliminary injunction to halt operations and further construction, which they say threatens environmentally sensitive wetlands that are home to protected plants and animals and would reverse billions of dollars' worth of environmental restoration. Plaintiffs presented witnesses Wednesday and Thursday who testified that the facility violates the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of major construction projects. Attorneys for the state and federal government have said that although the detention center would be holding federal detainees, the construction and operation of the facility is entirely under the state of Florida, meaning the federal environmental review wouldn't apply. The judge last week said the detention facility was, at a minimum, a joint partnership between the state and federal government. Witnesses describe environmental threats Witnesses for the environmental groups have testified that at least 20 acres (8 hectares) of asphalt have been added to the site since the Florida Division of Emergency Management began construction. They said additional paving could lead to an increase in water runoff to the adjacent wetlands, spread harmful chemicals into the Everglades and reduce the habitat for endangered Florida panthers. Amy Castaneda, the Miccosukee Tribe's water resource director, testified Tuesday that nutrient runoff from the detention center could flow into tribal lands, changing vegetation growth. That could lead to fish kills and block humans and wildlife from moving throughout certain areas, she said. Marcel Bozas, director of the Miccosukee Tribe's fish and wildlife department, said tribe members hunt and fish for subsistence and cultural reasons. Sustained human activity can drive away game animals, like whitetail deer, as well as protected species, like Florida panthers, wood storks, eastern black rails and bonneted bats, he said. State official says Florida runs center Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles executive director David Kerner testified that the 1,800 state troopers under his command are authorized to detain undocumented migrants under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He said the federal government doesn't tell the state where to detain immigrants, and that the Everglades facility was built to alleviate overcrowding at federal immigration detention facilities, as well as state and county facilities with agreements to hold federal immigration detainees. Kerner couldn't say how many of the 'Alligator Alcatraz' detainees have been charged with violent crimes or whether any other sites besides the middle of the Everglades were considered for possible detention centers. Attorneys for federal and state agencies last month asked Williams to dismiss or transfer the injunction request, saying the lawsuit was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. Even though the property is owned by Miami-Dade County, Florida's southern district is the wrong venue for the lawsuit because the detention center is in neighboring Collier County, which is in the state's middle district, they said. Williams had yet to rule on that argument. Facility faces a second legal challenge In a second legal challenge to 'Alligator Alcatraz," a federal judge over the weekend gave the state more time to prepare arguments against an effort to get the civil rights litigation certified as a class action. U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz in Miami said he will only consider a motion by detainees' lawyers for a preliminary injunction during an Aug. 18 hearing. He set a Sept. 23 deadline for the state to respond to the detainee's class action request. The second lawsuit claims detainees' constitutional rights are being violated because they are barred from meeting lawyers, are being held without any charges, and a federal immigration court has canceled bond hearings. The lawsuits were being heard as DeSantis′ administration apparently was preparing to build a second immigration detention center at a Florida National Guard training center in north Florida. At least one contract has been awarded for what is labeled in state records as the 'North Detention Facility.'
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Miami's Freedom Tower reopens as Trump ramps up arrests in city of Cuban migrant pride
For decades, its powerful lighthouse illuminated Miami's Biscayne Bay, and during the height of the Cold War, what was known as the Freedom Tower stood as a beacon of hope for hundreds of thousands of Cubans fleeing communist rule. The 14-story Spanish Revival skyscraper was where, from 1962 to 1974, the U.S. State Department welcomed Cuban refugees with medical services, English classes, and comfort kits containing essentials and something wholly exotic to the new arrivals: peanut butter. After decades of neglect, what was once Miami's tallest building is getting a well-deserved facelift. Next month, it will reopen as a museum honoring the history of Cuban exiles with immersive, state-of-the-art exhibits that explore the meaning of migration, freedom and homeland. Ellis Island of the South The reopening of what's dubbed the Ellis Island of the South comes at a sensitive moment. Cuban Americans — who dominate politics in Miami — voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in the last presidential election. But the president's crackdown on migrants — including Cubans — is increasingly viewed as a betrayal and has left many second-guessing that support. Not surprisingly, recent protests against Trump have gathered outside the tower. The organizers of the museum, while tiptoeing around the present-day politics, are nonetheless unapologetic in their embrace of the American dream. In Miami, a thriving crossroads where 70% of residents speak Spanish as their first language and more than half are foreign-born, compassion for migrants runs deep. 'It's cyclical,' said Rene Ramos, the head archivist at Miami Dade College, which spearheaded the $65 million renovation. 'This country has had moments where it clearly saw the value of immigrants and other moments when it did not. What we're doing here is reminding people what immigrants can accomplish when they're given the opportunity.' The iconic building opened in 1925 as the headquarters of the once-acclaimed Miami Daily News, which shuttered decades ago. It was designed, in the style of a Moorish bell tower from Seville, Spain, by the New York architectural firm Schultze & Weaver, which was behind some of the most glamorous hotels, theaters and office towers of the era. It was renamed the Freedom Tower when President John F. Kennedy launched the Cuban Refugee Assistance Program to resettle the streams of middle-class individuals and families fleeing Fidel Castro's revolution. It's estimated that nearly 400,000 Cubans relied on services provided at the tower by the U.S. government in coordination with the then-fledgling Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami. The total cost of the refugee assistance ran over $730 million by 1971 — almost $6 billion in today's dollars — a U.S. government report from that year found. A safe place for refugees Known to the Spanish-speaking migrants as 'El Refugio,' or 'The Refuge,' it was a safe place to get vaccines, fill out paperwork, and receive financial assistance of around $120 per month. In the Grand Hall, with its giant windows and Corinthian columns, the Pizarra de la Suerte — the Bulletin Board of Good Luck — carried job notices to help the Cubans adjust to their new life, according to a replica of the hall in the museum. At the time, metropolitan Miami was a tropical tourist town, with fewer than 1 million inhabitants. Most émigrés fanned out across the United States. 'They weren't staying in Miami because they didn't want warmth and sunshine. There were no jobs,' said Madeline Pumariega, the president of Miami Dade College, whose own Cuban parents hightailed it to Amarillo, Texas, after arriving here. But over time, the exiles would trudge back from the cold and snow to put their unmistakable Cuban stamp on what over the ensuing decades would become one of America's most vibrant cultural and economic hubs. Jorge Malagón, who teaches history at Miami Dade College, was just 5 when he arrived. But he still wells up recalling the hardship of his departure — when Cuban customs officials ripped open his teddy bear looking for contraband jewelry — and arriving in Miami on a 'Freedom Flight' paid for by the U.S. government and being immediately shuttled in a school bus from the tarmac to the Freedom Tower. 'The memories never go away,' said Malagón, who recalls being welcomed with a bar of unfamiliar peanut butter and a block of government cheese. 'To this day, a grilled cheese sandwich with cheap, Velveeta processed cheese is still comfort food to me.' The Freedom Tower, a national historic landmark, was long ago overtaken by Miami's fast-growing steel and glass skyline. Abandoned for years, it was rescued in 1997 by Cuban American businessman Jorge Mas Canosa, a top exile opponent of Castro. He later sold it to a prominent Cuban American family and it was then donated to Miami Dade College. Even in a dilapidated state, the tower remained a mecca of the Cuban diaspora. In 2003, tens of thousands of salsa fans gathered here to show their respects to Cuban-born singer Celia Cruz. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents migrated from Cuba, used it as the backdrop to announce his bid for the U.S. presidency in 2015. The current restoration was funded by $25 million investment from the state of Florida, with additional funding from MDC, private donors and federal government grants. Galleries designed by the same firm behind New York City's National September 11 Memorial & Museum provide a gripping account of the Cuban American journey to freedom. They include exhibits dedicated to Victims of Communism, the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion that the CIA organized against Castro, and the 14,000 unaccompanied minors sent by their parents as part of the U.S.-led Operation Peter Pan. Giant media screens project scenes of protest and acts of courage by newer residents of the Magic City fleeing persecution in Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua. There's also a makeshift recording studio for those who passed through the Freedom Tower to add their testimony to an archive of over 300 oral history interviews with exiles, including prominent voices like singer Gloria Estefan. Emerging from the dark galleries of often traumatic stories of dislocation and exile, the museum's final stop is a gallery flooded with all the sun, salsa and pastel hues that make modern-day Miami so beloved. 'Miami and the world would not be what it is today without them,' said Pumariega. 'That's important and so is the contributions that immigrants play in our country, and I think will continue to play beyond this moment.'
