The Facts Behind the Silence of Iranian Cyber Forces After US Attacks

Amid attacks from the United States and Israel, hacking operations by Iranian groups have suddenly gone quiet. Many have attributed this silence purely to the severing of national internet connectivity, which limits their operational scope.

However, a recent report titled “Decoding the Strategic Quiet of Iranian Cyber Groups” released by cybersecurity firm Shieldworkz has revealed different facts.

The absence of Iranian cyber attacks is indeed a direct consequence of the destructive US military operation, Operation Epic Fury. According to the Shieldworkz report, Epic Fury has successfully delivered a significant blow to the heart of Iran’s digital defence.

The operation succeeded in severing command chains, destroying operational infrastructure, and removing several senior leaders overseeing cyber operations. The disconnection of 96 per cent of domestic internet connections further compounded the impact of Israeli forces’ attacks.

The Iranian hackers possess functional autonomy, layered leadership structures, and operational guidelines stored offline. These hackers had already anticipated internet shutdown scenarios and incorporated them into their operational defence models.

Evidence shows that passive access traces from Iranian hackers, such as credential theft and VPN vulnerabilities in critical Middle Eastern infrastructure since early 2025, remain embedded and have not been completely erased.

Currently, the implanted intrusion tools are in passive status. However, these systems persist, occasionally transmitting signals, acting as “time bombs” ready to be exploited whenever the Iranian APT groups end their silence.

In fact, not all elements of Iranian threat actors have been destroyed by the onslaught. The Shieldworkz report notes that remnants of affiliated groups operating outside Iran’s geographical borders reportedly survived. This is evidenced by periodic reconnaissance attack waves from Iranian affiliates that continue to be recorded globally to date.