Tracing the Silent Footprints of Iranian Hackers Following US-Israeli Attacks
Iranian hacker groups, typically known for aggressive offensive operations in digital defence, have recently appeared quiet following a joint military operation by the United States and Israel targeting Iran.
Many observers have speculated that the silence results from American infrastructure damage to Iran’s internet infrastructure. However, latest intelligence suggests that Iranian cyber operatives are actually preparing a massive cyber attack against the US.
According to a Shieldworkz report, the operation delivered a significant blow to Iran’s digital defence architecture. The operation severed command chains, damaged operational infrastructure, and removed several senior leaders overseeing cyber operations.
The disconnection of 96 per cent of domestic internet connectivity following the Israeli military strikes has compounded the situation. Nevertheless, the report disputes the assumption that Iran’s cyber command structure has been completely destroyed.
Like their physical military counterparts, Iranian cyber groups employ a “mosaic model”. They possess functional autonomy, layered leadership structures, and operation manuals stored offline.
These hackers had already predicted internet shutdown scenarios and incorporated them into their operational defence models.
Evidence supports this: 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 entirely eradicated.
In fact, not all elements of Iran’s threat actors were destroyed by the onslaught.
The Shieldworkz report notes that remnants of this group’s affiliates operating outside Iran’s geographical borders are reported to have survived.
This is evidenced by periodic surveillance attack waves from Iranian affiliates that continue to be recorded globally.
Several of Iran’s key Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups have been observed still operating quietly as of March 2026. Their current operational status is as follows:
The absence of Iranian cyber counter-attacks is viewed as a transitional period from offensive to defensive posture.
They are auditing systems, protecting remaining infrastructure, evaluating damage, rotating command servers, whilst allowing national leadership to focus on physical warfare.
Furthermore, they are deliberately remaining inactive to prevent their hacking tools from being detected by adversaries. However, this silence is expected to be temporary. The report outlines a timeline for evolving Iranian cyber threats across several phases.