According to a report released by American cyber security firm Cylance on Tuesday, an Iranian cyberattack known as "Operation Cleaver" took control over airports in three different countries and compromised more than 50 organizations across more than a dozen countries.
Among the organizations at risk were airlines, defense contractors, universities, oil and gas companies, energy firms and hospitals.
The hacker group targeted airports in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, while also compromising airlines in Qatar, United Arab Emirates and the United States, per Cylance.
According to Reuters journalist Jim Finkle, Qatar Airlines and Korean Air were specific targets of the operation.
The hackers, operating over the course of two years, were able to capture confidential data and in some cases infiltrate computer networks and essentially achieve control of the organization.
Nicole Perlroth of the New York Times details the cyberattacks on airports:
"But the 'most bone-chilling evidence' Cylance said it collected was of attacks on transportation networks, including airlines and airports in South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Researchers said they had found evidence that hackers had gained complete remote access to airport gates and security control systems, 'potentially allowing them to spoof gate credentials.'"
Perlroth adds that previous cyberattacks by the U.S. and Israel likely led to Iran's retaliation.
The series of cyberattacks, which were based out of Iran's capital, Tehran, were named "Operation Cleaver" because the word cleaver often appeared in the code experts discovered.
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