US-Iran clash enters cyber realm and tests a Trump strategy

Iran is stepping up cyberattacks targeting the United States amid heightened tension between the two countries, leading U.S. officials to warn businesses and government agencies to shore up their defenses.

The top cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security, Christopher C. Krebs, said Iranian “regime actors and proxies” are increasingly targeting U.S. government agencies and industries with destructive “wiper” attacks that can rapidly eliminate entire networks.

The threat of more widespread and damaging Iranian cyberattacks on the U.S. homeland may be amplified following a strike by U.S. Cyber Command against an Iranian intelligence group tied to the military late last month, according to experts on Iran and cybersecurity.

“We opened that up as an avenue, and I would be surprised if they didn’t respond,” says