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Politico
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
Bank hacks, internet shutdowns and crypto heists: Here's how the war between Israel and Iran is playing out in cyberspace
The war between Iran and Israel has already expanded from the battlefield into cyberspace. The conflict between the two Middle East adversaries has so far largely played out in public view, with hundreds of missiles and drones causing mass casualties across major cities. But Iran and Israel have also been launching cyber attacks against one another from the shadows — which officials are now warning may soon spill over onto U.S. targets. Overnight strikes by the U.S. against Iranian nuclear facilities have heightened the threat environment, and Iran could retaliate by hacking into U.S. electrical grids, water plants, and other critical sectors. 'Cyber is one of the tools of Iran's asymmetric warfare,' said Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. The National Terrorism Advisory System warned Sunday of a range of Iranian threats to the U.S., including attacks on 'poorly secured U.S. networks and Internet-connected devices.' 'Low-level cyber attacks against U.S. networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against U.S. networks.' Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine told reporters on Sunday that U.S. Cyber Command was helping support the strikes, although he did not elaborate on its involvement. A spokesperson for U.S. Cyber Command did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the main U.S. cyber defense agency, declined to comment. Critical infrastructure groups last week called on U.S. companies to proactively step up their defenses in anticipation of an attack. Former CISA Director Jen Easterly posted on LinkedIn on Sunday that U.S. critical infrastructure organizations should have their 'shields up' and be prepared for malicious cyber activity. 'While it's unclear whether its cyber capabilities were at all impacted by recent Israeli strikes, Iran has a track record of retaliatory cyber operations targeting civilian infrastructure, including: water systems; financial institutions; energy pipelines; government networks; and more,' she wrote. Both Iran and Israel are considered global cyber powers and have traded barbs online, particularly in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. An Iranian gang claimed responsibility for hacking into an Israeli hospital and stealing patient data in 2023, and an Israeli hacking group followed by shutting down large swaths of Iran's gas stations. But Israel's cyber capabilities are widely considered more sophisticated. 'The Iranians … are good, they are emerging, but I don't think they're at the level of the Israelis or Americans,' Vatanka said. Some of the most aggressive efforts over the past week have been cyberattacks against major financial institutions in Iran and disinformation campaigns aimed at causing chaos and confusion in Israel. A pro-Israeli hacking group known as Predatory Sparrow claimed credit for a cyberattack last week on Iran's Bank Sepah, which caused widespread account issues for customers. The group also later claimed credit for draining around $90 million from Nobitex, Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange, and for posting stolen Nobitex source code lists on the social media platform X. Hackers also targeted Iranian news stations. Videos circulated online appeared to show Iranian state TV broadcasting anti-regime messages last week. The Iranian government shut down the nation's internet in response to the attacks late last week, a blackout that was largely still ongoing on Sunday. 'Gaining control of the flow of information is certainly to be expected from the regime … they suspect that there is maybe an attempt to mobilize public attention,' Vatanka said. Top Iranian officials and their security teams were also advised last week to stop using internet-connected devices, in particular telecommunication devices, to protect against potential Israeli disruptions. Last year, thousands of pagers used by the Iranian proxy militant group Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon, leaving thousands injured. One reason Israel's cyberattacks may have been more effective in this round of fighting is that Israel struck Iranian facilities first, giving it more time to prepare its offensive and defensive options before Iran could retaliate. Iran and its proxy organizations are fighting back, albeit on a smaller scale. Israel's National Cyber Directorate warned Israelis abroad on Saturday not to fill out forms on malicious websites that are seeking to gather intelligence on these individuals. Gil Messing, chief of staff for Israeli cyber company Check Point Software, said Saturday just before the U.S. strikes that his company had tracked cyber and disinformation campaigns against Israel 'escalating a bit,' though no new major attacks had been reported. Messing said that there was a 'flood of disinformation' pouring onto social media last week, including messages discouraging Israelis from entering shelters during attacks and erroneous texts about gas and supply shortages. Israel's civilian cyber defense agency warned that Iran was renewing its efforts to hack into internet-connected cameras for espionage purposes. John Hultquist, chief analyst for Google Threat Intelligence Group, posted on X on Saturday shortly after the attacks that Iranian cyber forces usually use their 'cyberattack capability for psychological purposes.' 'I'm most concerned about cyber espionage against our leaders and surveillance aided by compromises in travel, hospitality, telecommunications, and other sectors where data could be used to identify and physically track persons of interest,' Hultquist wrote.
Time Magazine
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Vance Says U.S. 'Not at War With Iran' But Threats Mount
Vice President J.D. Vance has said that the United States is 'not at war with Iran,' despite U.S. strikes targeting three key Iranian nuclear sites overnight in what President Donald Trump called a "very successful attack." 'We're not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear program,' Vance said on Sunday during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. He doubled down on his point in other interviews throughout the day. Vance's response comes after Iran issued a furious warning to the U.S. The Iranian ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, called for an emergency U.N. meeting to ensure "that the perpetrator of such heinous crimes is held fully accountable and does not go unpunished." Read More: Iran Delivers Furious Warning, Speaks of 'Unprecedented Level of Danger and Chaos' After 'Heinous' U.S. Strikes When addressing the nation in a televised address on Saturday night, Trump—flanked by Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—warned Iran that if they were to retaliate, the U.S. would pursue other targets with "speed" and "precision." Now, with tensions seemingly at an all-time high, a National Terrorism Advisory published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Sunday has added to the mounting concern. The notice, titled 'Summary of the Threat to the United States,' stated that the Iran conflict is "causing a heightened threat environment." 'Low-level cyber attacks against U.S. networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against U.S. networks,' the advisory warned. 'Iran also has a long-standing commitment to target US Government officials it views as responsible for the death of an Iranian military commander killed in January 2020.' Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani was assassinated on Jan. 3, 2020 by a drone missile strike ordered by Trump during his first term as President. Soleimani's death threatened to heighten tensions between the U.S. and Iran back in 2020, and some Iranian officials have since called for Trump to be put on trial or face revenge from Tehran. The advisory went on to say that 'hacktivists and Iranian government-affiliated actors' often target 'poorly secured U.S. networks and Internet-connected devices for disruptive cyber attacks.' It added that U.S. law enforcement has 'disrupted multiple potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots in the United States since 2020. During this timeframe, the Iranian government has also unsuccessfully targeted critics of its regime who are based in the Homeland for lethal attack.' A final warning stated that the ongoing conflict could also 'motivate violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators seeking to attack targets perceived to be Jewish, pro-Israel, or linked to the U.S. government or military in the Homeland.' Read More: How U.S. Strikes May Have Inadvertently Helped the Iranian Regime Amid concerns of a threat to the U.S., how have U.S. lawmakers responded to the strikes on Iran? Some in Trump's inner circle have praised his decision to strike Iran. "Good. This was the right call. The regime deserves it. Well done,' said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee echoed Trump's words, saying that 'peace can only be achieved through strength.' But many other U.S. lawmakers—both Republicans and Democrats—have outwardly disagreed with Trump, with some even calling for Trump's impeachment, since Congress was reportedly not consulted about the decision. During a rally on his 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour over the weekend, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont called the strikes "grossly unconstitutional" as the crowd in Oklahoma chanted 'no more war.' 'All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The President does not have the right,' Sanders maintained. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a Democrat who has been on the tour with Sanders, argued that the strikes are 'absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.' House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer both condemned Trump's actions and called for Congress to be briefed. In a statement, Jeffries said that Trump 'failed to deliver' on his promise of peace in the Middle East. 'The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm's way,' he said. And the outrage has not just fallen on Democrats/ Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said the military action was 'not constitutional.' Trump responded with a lengthy post on Truth Social, stating that his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement 'doesn't want [Massie], doesn't know him, and doesn't respect him.' He said that Massie is 'disrespectful to [America's] great military, and all that they stand for, not even acknowledging their brilliance and bravery in yesterday's attack, which was a total and complete WIN.' Meanwhile, Massie replied to a post from Speaker Mike Johnson via social media, asking: 'Why didn't you call us back from vacation to vote on military action if there was a serious threat to our country?' As many world leaders remain 'gravely alarmed' over the strikes and the increasing instability in the Middle East and beyond, the U.S. awaits a potential response from Iran, something Trump maintains would be a 'terrible mistake.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UBS Maintains Neutral on Peloton, Sees Modest EBITDA Growth by FY 2026
UBS analyst Arpine Kocharyan maintained a Neutral rating for Peloton Interactive, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTON) with a consistent price target of $7.50 as of May 27. Although the firm projects modest revenues in fiscal year 2026, its assessment comes amid forecasts of slightly increased underlying EBITDA, driven by cost savings this year. According to UBS, Peloton's FY'26 EBITDA is expected to reach $365 million, a slight improvement from the $353 million that was previously projected. The firm also updated its FY'27 EBITDA projection, which was previously $364 million, to $377 million. Peloton Interactive, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:PTON) increased its Free Cash Flow guidance from the initial estimate of "at least" $200 million to $250 million, which is reflected in the updated financial outlook. Although the company's current ratio of 1.65 indicates that it has healthy liquidity, UBS warns that the growth rate in FCF for fiscal year 2026 is anticipated to be much slower than that of this year. The new estimate was made under the assumption that the working capital gains observed in fiscal year 2025 are unlikely to be repeated the next year. Peloton Interactive, Inc. is an American exercise equipment and media company that offers products including static bikes, treadmills, and indoor rowers with Internet-connected touch displays that stream live and recorded fitness courses via a subscription service. While we acknowledge the potential of PTON to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than PTON and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. Read More: and Disclosure: None. Sign in to access your portfolio
