Iran-linked Actors Target US Military with Cyber Surveillance Campaign
A report by the Financial Times reveals that US military personnel and contractors in West Asia were targeted in a cyber-enabled surveillance campaign linked to Iran. The campaign involved exploiting vulnerabilities in global telecom networks and smartphone data to track locations. It coincided with US-Israeli military operations against Iran in late February and continued after Iranian drone and missile attacks on US installations. The Mobile Surveillance Monitor research project noted a surge in suspicious location requests, known as SS7 pings, across mobile networks in the region. Cybersecurity experts indicated that Iranian telecom operators, with roaming agreements in the Gulf, could send such requests. Concerns have been raised about the use of commercially available location data for surveillance, prompting US Central Command to implement enhanced force-protection measures for troops.
Published 12 hours ago • 15 Jul 2026, 09:21 AM IST