Full spectrum warfare: cyber domain.
Originally Posted by NBC News
An Iran-linked hacker group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack of a medical tech company, in what appears to be the first significant instance of Iran hacking an American company since the start of war between the countries. The company, Stryker, produces a range of medical equipment and technology, and is headquartered in Michigan.
Historically, Iran has conducted some of the most infamous “wiper” cyberattacks on national enemies, aiming to simply erase all data on a computer’s networks. Victims include
Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, in 2012, and the
Sands Casino in 2014. Since the war started, some established hacker groups sympathetic to Iranian leadership have claimed minor attacks, but most have been relegated to briefly altering the appearance of a website and none have appeared to have had major impact. Some tech and cybersecurity companies, including Google, and the email cybersecurity company Proofpoint, have told NBC News that they have largely seen Iran’s hackers conducting espionage related to the war.
But that appears to have changed Wednesday, with what appears to have been a different type of attack that also deleted information from devices. One Stryker employee, who requested to not be identified because they are not authorized to speak for the company, said that employee’s work issued phones stopped working, dragging work and communications with colleagues to a standstill.
There are no front lines in 21st century warfare.
There is an interesting article floating about from General Wesley Clark, and he did indeed make a comparison between Operation Allied Force and the current Operation Epic Fury and the attempt to use air power as a decisive force. You can find it if you are interested, but I don't think it fits here. Maybe in the other thread.
For Crab:
Perhaps there are reasons why no US President has gone to war with Iran in the past - if you can't bomb them into submission, what next? It's a vast country with unfriendly geography that would be another Afghanistan if ground troops were deployed.
Anyone who has served in the CENTCOM AOR understands this. Tlthere was quite a bit of saber rattling in the late 00's as regards Iran and their supporting various Shia militias in Iraq who fought with American troops there, but the decision to not expand the war was taken for very practical reasons.