By Ellen Messmer

Andrew F. Kazmierski/Shutterstock.com

Iran is being accused of launching cyberattacks against U.S.-based banks that include Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup, an accusation that was firmly rejected by the head of Iran's Civil Defense Organization.

A Reuters article, based on unnamed sources, made the claim that Iranian hackers have struck the three large banks mainly through denial-of-service (DoS) attacks targeting the banks' websites and corporate networks. According to the Reuters article, the attacks originated in Iran over the past year, and it's not known whether they are state-sponsored, groups working on behalf of the government or something else unrelated. NBC News also carried a report to that effect.

The Fars News Agency in Iran, in its English version, rejected the "western media reports," and included a statement from the head of Iran's Civil Defense Organization, Gholam Reza Jalali, saying, "Iran has not hacked the U.S. banks."

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Source: Network World