The possibility of a cyber attack by threat groups acting on behalf of the Iranian government has dramatically increased following US actions in Iraq.

Axar.az reports citing CW that Vectra’s head of security analytics, Chris Morales, pointed that the US and its allies have been engaged in a cyberwar with Iran for more than a decade – the most notable “skirmish” probably being the Stuxnet attack on Iran’s nuclear capabilities 11 years ago.

Morales said that while Iran was not as sophisticated in its cyber capabilities as other state actors – largely because it mostly uses black-market malware as opposed to the purpose-built strains used by the US – it was more likely that any retaliation by Iran would be measured with the threat Tehran knows it faces from a US-led offensive.

“The US is well aware of Iran’s cyber capabilities and I believe (hope) a cyber strike would have been taken into consideration with the latest attack,” he said.