Iran has embarked on a large-scale cyber piracy operations in an attempt to expand its influence over the Middle East, especially in Lebanon, according to a new report.

A group of Iranian hackers backed by Iran, attacked the servers of the offices of the Lebanese president Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri after his resignation, according to French newspaper Le Figaro.

The attacks also targeted the Lebanese ministries of justice, foreign affairs, the army and several banks, according to Western intelligence. 

“In fact, it has been six months since the Iranian hackers of the operation "Oilrig" have been hacking Lebanese servers,” reported the newspaper.

The hackers had access to the email accounts of Saad Hariri and the Lebanese President, Michel Aoun; as per intelligence reports.

With the upcoming elections scheduled for May 2018 in Lebanon, the intention is to try to influence the polls in favor of Hezbollah by seeking to gather embarrassing information about its rivals, the newspaper quoted sources.

The cyber-hackers of operation “Oilrig” are probably civilians, which would allow the Iranian governmentto refute any involvement with the operation.

However, Western intelligence services have established that they are funded by Iran's Ministry of Defense and Homeland Security.

The report added that Oilrig group has been active for a year and a half. They have been involved in many cyber-attacks in the region, especially against Saudi Arabia.

source: Alarabiya