TIRANA, Sept. 2 – The United States strongly condemns Iran’s cyberattack against NATO ally Albania and will take further action to hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten the security of a U.S. ally and set a troubling precedent for cyberspace, the White House said in a statement on Wednesday, following Tirana’s decision to cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran.
“The U.S. government has been on the ground working alongside private sector partners to support Albania’s efforts to mitigate, recover from, and investigate the July 15 cyberattack that destroyed government data and disrupted government services to the public. We have concluded that the Government of Iran conducted this reckless and irresponsible cyberattack and that it is responsible for subsequent hack and leak operations,” said a statement by the White House’s NSC spokesperson, Adrienne Watson.
She added that Iran’s conduct disregards norms of responsible peacetime state behavior in cyberspace, which includes a norm on refraining from damaging critical infrastructure that provides services to the public.
“We will continue to support Albania’s remediation efforts over the longer-term, and we invite partners and Allies to join us in holding malicious cyber actors accountable and building a secure and resilient digital future,” the statement added.
Albania’s government decided to break off diplomatic relations with Iran, Prime Minister Edi Rama said Wednesday morning, adding the extreme measure was in proportion to the seriousness of the recent Iranian state-sponsored cyberattack on Albanian government systems.
