Officials warn that Iran-backed hackers are targeting critical U.S. sectors

Hackers linked to the Iranian government are reportedly involved in an ongoing campaign targeting "a broad range of victims" across the United States, an advisory released Wednesday found.

Why it matters: The advisory, compiled by American, British and Australian officials, outlined the malicious activity perpetrated by the attackers, which date back to at least March of this year.

• The agencies noted that Iranian Government-sponsored hackers exploited computer vulnerabilities and targeted "multiple U.S. critical infrastructure sectors," namely the transportation and health care sectors.
• The hackers leveraged their access for additional operations, including data exfiltration, ransomware and extortion, according to the advisory.

What they're saying: The FBI as well as cybersecurity government agencies in the United Kingdom and Australia "assess the actors are focused on exploiting known vulnerabilities rather than targeting specific sectors," the advisory reads.

• The agencies "urge critical infrastructure organizations to apply the recommendations listed in the ... advisory to mitigate risk of compromise from Iranian government-sponsored cyber actors," it continued.