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| The 9 Iranian individuals are associated with the Mabna Institute, an organization contracted by the Iranian Government to steal sensitive information. (Photo courtesy: Yuri Gripas/ Reuters) |
After years of cyberattacks on government agencies, universities and companies within the United States, the Department of Justice has finally charged the culprits which successfully executed phishing schemes, deployed malware and took banking websites offline. Iran first employed the use of internet breaches to thwart political opposition in their own country and gradually turned their focus abroad to target companies inside and allies with the United States.
Unfortunately for President Trump, the accusations of hacking come at a critical point for the life of the Iran nuclear deal President Obama negotiated in 2015. Trump has publicly stated he wants to withdraw from the agreement and wants to increase sanction, in direct contradiction to the terms of the deal which provide sanctions relief for compliance.
Personally, I don't believe Trump will go through with pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal because the negative global ramifications of abandoning ship at this point would be too great and more American companies might possibly be targeted with further cyber attacks. I do, however, think that officially charging these Iranian nationals is a step in the right direction when it comes to holding Iran accountable for their actions. Hopefully they misstep abroad and are subsequently turned over to the US.
What do you think about the Iran nuclear deal? Should we keep it intact?
Will we see more cyber attacks on American companies if we drop the agreement?
3 comments:
With the looming threat of cyber attacks, I think it's best for the US to remain in the Iran Nuclear Deal. Leaving the deal, as both Nick and the article mention, might unleash a flurry of unrestrained cyber attacks on US companies or governmental agencies. I think there are parts of the Iran Nuclear Deal that could be amended to further deconstruct their nuclear program (rather than halt it, if I'm not mistaken), but the nuclear deal was a compromise, meaning both sides had to sacrifice something to come to an agreement. I think, with the America First attitude this administration has adapted, the requirements of a compromise have been forgotten in favor of threatening, bullying, and "hardball" negotiations. This is not how we make international alliances, and it will certainly resulted on bitter, indignant nations looking for revenge later.
Because the hackers were tied to the Iranian government, I think we need to reconsider the possibilities of further cyber attacks from similar contractors, especially if they receive funding and resources from the government. We have to tread lightly from here.
The Iranian Nuclear Deal honestly does more good than harm to the United States. As a trade for deconstructing Iranian nuclear warfare, Iran will have lesser sanctions imposed upon them. This only makes the US and the global scene a safer place, and the US has virtually no price to pay. President Trump seems to favor more of a hardline approach that would force Iran to deconstruct its nuclear weapons, rather than a reasonable compromise that would favorably promote Iran to cut back its nuclear weapons production.
In light of the discovery of cyberattacks coming from Iran, however, these criminal actions ought to be taken seriously. The US government might consider negotiating greater sanctions as punishment, or demand an apology or explanation from the Iranian government if these continued attacks are forthcoming.
Anyone else think that their "wanted" pictures kind of look like dating profiles?
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