The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, said cyber attackers working on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were using “social engineering” techniques to gain access to victims’ personal and business accounts online.
Paul Chichester, director of operations at the National Cyber Security Centre, said: “The spear-phishing attacks undertaken by actors working on behalf of the Iranian government pose a persistent threat to individuals with a connection to Iranian and Middle Eastern affairs.
The Iranian hackers have often impersonated contacts by email and messaging platforms, and built a rapport with victims before tricking them into sharing user credentials via a false email account login page, the cyber experts warned.
“Individuals who face a higher risk of targeting due to their work or public status are eligible to sign up for two opt-in cyber defence services managed by the NCSC,” the alert says.
US intelligence agencies have said that in the summer, Iranian hackers stole material from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and sent it to officials in the Biden campaign as well as journalists.
