Iran has intensified its cyber operations and propaganda campaigns against Israel since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, according to a report from Microsoft. The American company released a detailed report on Iranian cyber activities before and after this date.
The report stated that several groups allied with the Iranian government launched a series of cyber attacks and used artificial intelligence techniques and influence operations aimed at supporting Hamas, weakening Israel and its political allies, and its business partners. The Microsoft report indicates that Iran focused nearly 43% of its cyber activities against Israel to support Hamas. However, many of the operations carried out by Iran after October 7 were hasty and chaotic, suggesting—according to the report—that there was a lack of coordination between Iran and Hamas.
The report also noted Iranian cooperation with a Hezbollah-affiliated group in Lebanon. It predicted that Iranian influence operations and cyber attacks would become more targeted and destructive in the upcoming period, with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas and the approaching American presidential election.
The Microsoft report anticipated that 2024 would witness more targeted Iranian attacks against the United States during the presidential election, highlighting that Iran "will test American red lines," such as targeting critical infrastructure, similar to its actions against an Israeli hospital and an American water system in Pennsylvania. The report warned of increasing threats in 2024 during the U.S. presidential elections, building on what occurred during the 2020 elections, when Iran impersonated American extremists and incited violence against U.S. government officials.
Iran's use of mass texting and email campaigns has increased to amplify negative psychological effects, showing that messages appearing on people’s phones or in their inboxes have a greater impact than fake accounts on social media. The report stated that Iran uses both public and secret media linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to amplify cyber operations and exaggerate their effects. In September, an Iranian hacking group claimed to have conducted cyber attacks against the Israeli railway system, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard media almost immediately exaggerated and amplified these claims.
