Cyberwarfare and Iran

Cyberwarfare is a part of the Iranian government's "soft war" military strategy. Being both a victim and wager of cyberwarfare, Iran is considered an emerging military power in the field. Since November 2010, an organization called "The Cyber Defense Command" (Persian: قرارگاه دفاع سایبری; Gharargah-e Defa-e Saiberi) has been operating in Iran under the supervision of the country's "Passive Civil Defense Organization" (Persian: سازمان پدافند غیرعامل; Sazeman-e Padafand-e Gheyr-e Amel) which is itself a subdivision of the Joint Staff of Iranian Armed Forces.

Iran has been the target of cyberattacks, including the Operation Olympic Games (Stuxnet) attack by the United States and Israel on its nuclear facilities.

According to a 2014 report by Institute for National Security Studies, Iran is "one of the most active players in the international cyber arena". In 2013, a Revolutionary Guards general stated that Iran has "the 4th biggest cyber power among the world's cyber armies." According to a 2021 report by a cyber-security company, "Iran is running two surveillance operations in cyber-space, targeting more than 1,000 dissidents". As of 2024, Iran's cyber activities have advanced, particularly in their precision and intelligence-gathering capabilities, allowing for more accurate and targeted attacks against Israel. Following directives from Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei after the October 7 attacks, cyber operations expanded, including joint efforts with Hezbollah. Despite these advances, Iran's cyber capabilities still fall short of Israel's, with Iranian hackers' skills being likened to those of mid-level organized crime gangs. However, Israeli officials remain concerned that Iran could rapidly enhance its capabilities, particularly through potential cooperation with Russia.