Iranian hackers attack State Department via social media accounts

WASHINGTON — Four months after a historic accord with Tehran to limit its atomic ambitions, U.S. officials and private security groups say they see a surge in sophisticated computer espionage by Iran, culminating in a series of cyberattacks against State Department officials over the past month.

The surge has led U.S. officials to a stark conclusion: For Iran, cyberespionage — and the power it gives the Iranians to jab at the United States and its neighbors without provoking a military response — is becoming a tool to obtain the influence that many in Iran hoped the nuclear program would give the country.

Over the past month, Iranian hackers identified individual State Department officials who focus on Iran and the Middle East, and broke into their email and social media accounts, according to diplomatic and law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation. The State Department became aware of the compromises only after Facebook told the victims that state-sponsored hackers had compromised their accounts. For the full article click here 

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