Iran most dangerous nation for cyber attacks says Saudi Foreign Minister

Alex Brandon | AFP | Getty Images

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir attends a press conference with US Secretary of State in Riyadh on October 22, 2017.

The most dangerous nation for cyber threats is Iran, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir told CNBC on Sunday, saying that the country had been attacked “repeatedly” by its adversary.

Asked who he believed was the most dangerous nation in terms of cyber attacks and Al-Jubeir was unequivocal.

“The most dangerous nation behind cyber attacks? Iran,” Al-Jubeir said.

“Iran is the only country that has attacked us repeatedly and tried to attack us repeatedly. In fact they tried to do it on a virtually weekly basis.”

Speaking at the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the foreign minister repeatedly criticized Iran for what he called “mischievous behavior” in the region, with particular reference to its support for Shia militant group Hezbollah, which holds influence in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East.

The Sunni monarchy’s interests have for decades been diametrically opposed to Iran’s, but the past year has seen tensions escalate against a backdrop of proxy conflicts in Yemen and Syria.

Given the mounting animosity between the Sunni monarchy and the Shia Islamic republic, Al-Jubeir’s statement is perhaps not surprising. CNBC contacted the Iranian government for a response to Al-Jubeir’s comments but has yet to receive a reply.

Cyber experts have also pointed to what they see as the country’s seemingly increasingly sophisticated cyber-espionage capabilities.

Last September, the U.S. Treasury Department added two Iran-based hacking networks and eight individuals to a U.S. sanctions list, accusing them of taking part in cyber-enabled attacks on the U.S. financial system in 2012 and 2013, Reuters reported. Iran denied any role in the cyber attacks, however.

Cyber security has been a major focus of the Munich Security Conference, which has brought together more than 450 senior decision makers and heads of state to discuss current and future threats to international stability.