Iran has strengthened its cyber threat protection following the Stuxnet cyber attack in 2010 which hit Iranian nuclear facilities, according to a US General.
US Air Force Space Command head General William Shelton told reporters, "It’s clear that the Natanz [nuclear facility] situation generated reaction by them."
"They are going to be a force to be reckoned with, with the potential capabilities that they will develop over the years and the potential threat that will represent to the United States."
Stuxnet, which was first discovered by Iranian officials in June 2010, is a malware that infects computers through a control system preferred by industries that control water supplies, oil rigs, and power plants.
Responding to the attacks, the country launched a cyber defence headquarters aimed at preventing malware from stealing data from the country’s security networks that include nuclear facilities, power plants, data centres, and banks.
Earlier, Iran rejected reports by US officials alleging its involvement in attacking several banks in the US, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup, Wells Fargo & Co and PNC Financial Services Group.
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