Iran has been making sustained efforts to boost its cyber-warfare capabilities for years, developing what had once been at-best rudimentary cyber-war assets into what General William Shelton, commander of the US Air Force Space Command, described in 2010 as a “force to be reckoned with.” Iranian expertise was subsequently leveraged by the Syrian Electronic Army to target the West. Just last week the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had been hacking U.S. Navy computers.
The U.S. has sought to degrade Iran’s cyber-capabilities, efforts which have included probing Iran’s cyber-defenses.
Iran’s program may have taken a blow on Saturday, when reports indicate Mojtaba Ahmadi, head of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps cyber-warfare unit, was shot dead by two men on motorcycles.
Confusion continues to swirl around the incident. Will Fulton, an Iran analyst at the American Enterprise Insitute, has been tweeting some of the twists:
@thekarami @aostovar @rzsanati but I’m still perplexed as to where Telegraph got the idea that he is head of cyber warfare
— Will Fulton (@FultonWill) October 2, 2013
Of note, Ostanban reports that eyewitness claims Ahmadi killed by men on 2 motorcycles. Can’t find this in reports Ostanban links to, though
— Will Fulton (@FultonWill) October 2, 2013
Digarban/Ostanban has always, without fail, reported accurately on IRGC (even if the analysis is sometimes overstated)
— Will Fulton (@FultonWill) October 2, 2013
Tasnim reports assassinated IRGC member Mojtaba Ahmadi was head of Karaj IRGC intelligence http://t.co/AIrkbuuJp9
— Will Fulton (@FultonWill) October 3, 2013
Site that originally reported assassinated IRGC official’s name now completely down http://t.co/evcXVJzYez
— Will Fulton (@FultonWill) October 3, 2013
[Photo: sajed.ir / Wiki Commons ]
