Associated Press
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
- Iran has promised "a forceful revenge" in response to the US-ordered drone strike that killed Iranian Quds Force head Qassem Soleimani on Friday.
- Cybersecurity experts warn that Iran spent years establishing itself as an "intelligent cyber opponent" and is likely to leverage cyberattacks against the US.
- Iran has previously been linked to cyberattacks against Turkey, Israel, the US, and the UK.
- Cyberattacks could target internet infrastructure, online banks, or even the US power grid.
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Iran's leaders vowed to exact "a forceful revenge" against the US Friday in response to an American drone strike that killed Iranian Quds Force head Qassem Soleimani.
Now, cybersecurity and defense experts are bracing for a possible Iranian cyber-offensive that could target online infrastructure across the US military and private sector.
Experts told Business Insider that Iran has spent years building out its computer warfare capabilities. Since 2010, when Iran faced a cyber attack on its nuclear facilities, the country has focused heavily on beefing up its cyber defense operations.
"Iran is an intelligent cyber opponent with an army of people testing our systems every minute of every day. It is the ultimate game of cat and mouse," Sam Curry, chief security officer at Cybereason, told Business Insider.
However, the US has also focused heavily on building up its cyber defenses during that time, according to Kiersten Todt, former cybersecurity advisor to the Obama administration and managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute.
"I absolutely think that they will look to attack our critical infrastructure on the homeland ... but our capabilities and our preparedness for that type of attack is strong and our military is extremely well-prepared for this," Todt told Business Insider.
Here's what we know about Iran's capacity for online warfare, and what a cyberattack could look like.