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| Google detects Iran phishing attacks ahead of election | Google detects Iran phishing attacks ahead of election |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Google says it has detected and stopped thousands of phishing attacks targeting email accounts of Iranian users ahead of the 14 June presidential election. | Google says it has detected and stopped thousands of phishing attacks targeting email accounts of Iranian users ahead of the 14 June presidential election. |
| In an online statement, the firm said it had noticed a "significant jump" in the region's overall volume of phishing activity in the last three weeks. | In an online statement, the firm said it had noticed a "significant jump" in the region's overall volume of phishing activity in the last three weeks. |
| The timing and targets suggested the attacks were "politically motivated". | The timing and targets suggested the attacks were "politically motivated". |
| Friday's poll is the first since 2009 when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a controversial second term. | Friday's poll is the first since 2009 when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a controversial second term. |
| The election had triggered angry protests, with voters accusing Mr Ahmadinejad's camp of rigging the results in his favour. | The election had triggered angry protests, with voters accusing Mr Ahmadinejad's camp of rigging the results in his favour. |
| Fake sign-in page | Fake sign-in page |
| Google's vice-president of security engineering, Eric Grosse, said the phishing attacks originated from within Iran. | Google's vice-president of security engineering, Eric Grosse, said the phishing attacks originated from within Iran. |
| Phishing attempts to obtain passwords and other private computing information by directing users to fake websites. | Phishing attempts to obtain passwords and other private computing information by directing users to fake websites. |
| "For almost three weeks, we have detected and disrupted multiple email-based phishing campaigns aimed at compromising the accounts owned by tens of thousands of Iranian users," he said. | "For almost three weeks, we have detected and disrupted multiple email-based phishing campaigns aimed at compromising the accounts owned by tens of thousands of Iranian users," he said. |
| "The timing and targeting of the campaigns suggest that the attacks are politically motivated in connection with the Iranian presidential election on Friday." | "The timing and targeting of the campaigns suggest that the attacks are politically motivated in connection with the Iranian presidential election on Friday." |
| Mr Grosse said victims targeted in the attacks had received an email containing a link to a web page purporting to perform account maintenance. | Mr Grosse said victims targeted in the attacks had received an email containing a link to a web page purporting to perform account maintenance. |
| If they clicked the link, they were taken to a fake Google sign-in page, which would steal their username and password. | If they clicked the link, they were taken to a fake Google sign-in page, which would steal their username and password. |
| Mr Grosse warned Iranian users to take extra measures to protect their accounts from "state-sponsored attacks". | Mr Grosse warned Iranian users to take extra measures to protect their accounts from "state-sponsored attacks". |
| Most of the six candidates in Friday's election are conservatives close to Ayatollah Khamenei. | Most of the six candidates in Friday's election are conservatives close to Ayatollah Khamenei. |
| The opposition says more than 80 of its supporters were killed in a crackdown over a period of six months after the 2009 election - a figure the government disputes. Several have been sentenced to death, and dozens jailed. | |
| The two reformist candidates from 2009 - Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi - remain under house arrest. | The two reformist candidates from 2009 - Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi - remain under house arrest. |