Iran alleges US cyberattacks; China amplifies claims

Iranian state media has alleged that the United States utilized backdoors or botnets to disable networking equipment during recent conflicts, with Chinese state media amplifying these claims. These reports suggest that hardware from manufacturers like Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, and MikroTik experienced disruptions, even as Iran maintained a significant internet blockade, with further coverage provided by The Register.

The allegations posit that a hidden backdoor within the firmware or bootloader of networking equipment, potentially activated by a satellite signal or at a predetermined time, allowed for remote sabotage. Another theory suggests the deployment of a botnet targeting devices from US-based vendors and MikroTik. While the US has previously alluded to cyber operations as part of military actions, such as in Venezuela and a reported attack on Iran, the specifics remain undisclosed. The extent of these alleged outages is difficult to verify due to Iran's ongoing internet restrictions, which have been in place for over 50 days, with selective access granted to favored groups.

These claims, amplified by Chinese state media, align with Beijing's narrative of portraying the US as a cyber aggressor and China as a pacifist in cyberspace. This geopolitical framing is further evidenced by China's past assertions that US intelligence embeds backdoors in hardware and that alleged Chinese cyberattacks are false flag operations.

Source: The Register