Цифровая военная машина Ирана нацелена на инфраструктуру США

“It makes it very hard to identify them from a geolocation aspect, as well as identifying the fingerprint of the attack. It creates more resilience in these operations since there is no single point of infrastructure that you can attack,†Chronister tells The Cipher Brief. “It also means that as Iran’s leadership withers, and there is less coordination with their various cyber forces, these groups could act on their own initiative, which will make an already complex situation even worse.â€

The loss of centralized control cuts both ways for Iran. Cyber operations conducted by dispersed groups can withstand missile strikes, but rogue proxy groups operating independently may unintentionally escalate conflicts.

Bombing a building does not stop hackers with laptops scattered across multiple countries, which highlights another fundamental challenge. Iranian cyber operatives can resume operations from new locations within hours, rendering traditional military strikes largely ineffective against digital threats.

“Like with proxy terrorist groups, Iran has the ability for a diffuse set of actors to work on behalf of the IRGC cause, but those actors are limited in the scale of what effects they can produce,†he adds. “This diffusion will allow for a continued exploitation of vulnerable systems that I would expect to be targeted for propaganda victories, to shift public opinion, and to cause harm at the community level. This necessitates broad information sharing engagement across critical infrastructure for the United States cyber defense community.â€