Once 'kittens' in cyber spy world, Iran gaining hacking prowess - security experts

FILE PHOTO - An aide unveils a wanted poster before U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey hold a news conference to announce indictments on Iranian hackers for a coordinated campaign of cyber attacks in 2012 and 2013 on several U.S. banks and a New York dam, at the Justice Department in Washington March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Hackers likely linked to Iran's government are behind attacks on Saudi and other Western aerospace and petrochemical firms, signalling a rise in Iranian cyber-spying prowess, U.S. security firm FireEye said on Wednesday.

A FireEye report dubbed the new hackers group APT33 and detailed evidence of its activities since 2013 in seeking to steal military and aerospace secrets, while also gearing up for attacks with potential to bring down entire computer networks.