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James Jones: Iran Nuclear Deal May Escalate Middle East Cyber War

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cyberSome U.S. national security analysts have forecast that an international agreement to stop Iran’s nuclear development program will heighten cyber threats against U.S.’ Middle East allies, the Christian Science Monitor reported Thursday.

Sara Sorcher writes James Jones, a former U.S. national security adviser and military veteran, said during an Atlantic Council-hosted panel discussion Wednesday he believes the nuclear framework agreement between Iran and world powers will not subside ongoing tensions in the region.

He added that Iran could “become more aggressive in supporting proxies in the region and continue to undermine the United States allies in the region through cyber attacks,” according to the report.

Andretta Towner, senior intelligence analyst at CrowdStrike, estimates Iran has increased its cybersecurity budget by approximately 1,200 percent over the past three years.

Towner told forum audience the Stuxnet malware that targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure has prompted the country to build up its cyber defense.

“Stuxnet was kind of an awakening for that in cybersecurity matters, the country realized… that building the national cyber capability was just the next natural step,” she added, according to Sorcher’s article.

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