Iran boosts cyber security with secure domestic network-report

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 16:03 GMT Source: reuters // Reuters DUBAI, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Iran has connected all its government agencies to a secure domestic Internet service and plans to link ordinary Iranians up to the same network, an official was quoted as saying on Sunday, in a move to beef up cyber security. The Islamic state tightened its cyber security after its disputed nuclear programme was attacked in 2010 by the Stuxnet computer worm, which caused centrifuges to fail at the main Iranian uranium enrichment facility. Tehran, whose nuclear programme is suspected by the West of being aimed at developing a bomb, accused the United States and Israel of deploying the worm. "In recent days, all governmental agencies and offices ... have been connected to the national information network," deputy communications and technology minister Ali Hakim-Javadi was quoted as saying on Sunday by the Mehr news agency. The second phase of the plan would be to connect ordinary Iranians to the national network. According to Iranian media, the domestic system would be fully implemented by March 2013 but it was not clear whether access to the global Internet would be cut once the secure Iranian system was rolled out. Millions of websites deemed to have un-Islamic content are blocked by Iranian authorities, along with many expressing anti-government views. Many Iranians suffered serious problems accessing email and Internet social networking sites in February, ahead of parliamentary elections. Opposition supporters used social networking sites to organise widespread protests after the disputed 2009 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which they said was rigged in his favour. Communications and Technology Minister Reza Taqipour said last month Iran needed to develop its own network to ensure the safety of the country's information, the Fars news agency reported. "Especially on major issues and during crises, one cannot trust this network at all," he said, referring to the global Internet. "Control over the Internet should not be in the hands of one or two countries." Authorities said in April a computer virus was detected inside the control systems of Kharg Island - which handles the vast majority of Iran's crude oil exports - but the terminal remained operational. (Reporting by Zahra Hosseinian and Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Sophie Hares) === Cmdr. warns of WWIII if Iran attacked Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:55:01 GMT A senior Iranian military commander has warned that an Israeli strike on the Islamic Republic could trigger the World War III. “We see the United States and the Zionist regime [of Israel] alongside one another and can by no means imagine that the Zionist regime would initiate a war [against Iran] without the US support….In case of the eruption of such a [war] condition, the situation would spin out of control and management; this war is likely to degenerate into the World War III. It means that some countries might enter the war in favor of or against Iran,” Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said on Al-Alam television on Sunday. “An independent war between Iran and the Zionist regime or the US could not be imagined,” the general said, adding that in case a war breaks out, Iran would be on collision course with both sides. "“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the US bases in the region as part of the American soil and will definitely target them if a war breaks out,” he added." He went on to say that “One should not imagine that the countries in the region would declare neutrality if a war breaks outs.” On Saturday, IRGC chief Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said a war on Iran “will eventually happen,” warning that the attack will lead to the Israeli regime’s obliteration. Israel is stepping up threats of carrying out a unilateral strike against Iran’s nuclear energy facilities before the US presidential election on November 6. However, the US opposes any Israeli military action at the current juncture. Israeli threats are based on the unsubstantiated claims that the peaceful nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic have been diverted to the acquisition of military nuclear capability.