US Strikes Back at Iran with Crippling Cyberattack
A US cyberattack has stopped Iran's Revolutionary Guards from targeting more oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
According to American officials cited by the New York Times, the June cyberattack destroyed a database the paramilitary group uses to plan attacks on tankers and other vessels in the Gulf. That region is where 20 percent of the world's crude is shipped.
Among other targets, the attack shut down military communications networks.
Iran is still trying to retrieve lost information and restart the computer systems that were targeted.
US intelligence says Iran is behind bombing attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf and the downing of one US drone in May and June. Iran also seized a British-flagged oil tanker earlier this summer, and it's still holding that tanker hostage.
The Trump administration decided the cyberstrike was a reasonable response to Iran shooting down that US drone and an effective way to counter the ongoing tanker threat.
Israel is also taking efforts prevent further Iranian threats. Israel says it struck Iranian killer drones in Syria that were preparing to attack Israel over the weekend.
MORE about that HERE: Israel Foils Iranian 'Killer Drone' Attack in Syria, Retaliates Against Hamas in South
