A few days ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) general director, Christopher Wray, took part in the Boston Colledge conference and mentioned the case of the Iran-sponsored cyberattack on the children’s hospital in Boston. The incident happened a year ago. Fortunately, quick actions helped to get ahead of potential danger.
What is the Purpose of FBI’s Director Speech?
In his talk, the FBI general director aimed to warn about the increase in cyber threats sponsored by governments of countries like Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea. So, he gave the case of the Iran-funded targeted cyberattack on the Boston Children’s Hospital in 2021 as an example. Of course, both the FBI and the hospital undertook immediate measures to eliminate the threat.
Also, Wray stated that the situation escalated with Russia’s war against Ukraine. As a result, there was an increase in government-sponsored gangs of hackers’ interest in various fields, especially energy.
About Iran-Sponsored Cyberattack in Detail
Last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) received information from one of their intelligence partners that the Boston Children’s Hospital would be under attack soon. So, understanding the seriousness of the potential threat and the extent of the possible damages, the FBI acted quickly on the warning. The bureau shared this information with its branch office in Boston. Thus, the office in Boston quickly told the Boston Children’s Hospital about the possible threat. And in its turn, the hospital took all necessary steps to provide security to their patient’s data. As a result, both the hospital’s network and children with diseases remained safe and sound.
Because of the earlier similar attack on the children’s hospital, the FBI considers Iran-sponsored threat actors involved in the case with the Boston hospital because of the same IP address. Christopher Wray named this incident one of the most disgusting ones in his speech. But he also mentioned that this is what all US critical infrastructure should prepare for. Of course, government-sponsored hackers were also interested in essential infrastructure, but the escalation of the geopolitical situation also made itself felt.
Additional Information Mentioned in the FBI’s Director Speech
Suppose the elimination of the Iran-sponsored cyberattack on the Boston Children’s more-than-390-beds Hospital is instead a positive case. In that case, however, it doesn’t rule out that those government-sponsored cyber groupings will try to hit where it hurts. So, it is vital to strengthen critical infrastructure security like never before. And that’s why the FBI general director highlighted the necessity of addressing incidents to the FBI so that cyber actors could be revealed and their further crimes addressed.
Last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) posted an assessment of Iran-sponsored cyber-attacks and malicious activity. In their publication, institutions warned the medical and transport fields about Iran-funded advanced persistent threat (APT) grouping. Its primary strategy was to use weak spots in Microsoft Exchange ProxyShell and Fortinet.
The general idea of all states that sponsor such cyberattacks is to achieve world supremacy unfairly. For example, China-funded cyber villains conducted more data thefts from US infrastructures than any other nation. However, the medical field and other vital infrastructures remain the weak spot for cyber attacks. That’s why Wray also highlighted the necessity of collaboration between private medical organizations and the FBI.
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