Russian official says malware was used in Tehran assassinations

Russian Federal Security Service chief Aleksandr Bortnikov said a range of methods were used to neutralize some of Iran’s top officials. He said the targets’ locations were identified through malicious digital markers embedded in video surveillance systems in Tehran. Bortnikov pointed to the United States and Israel, saying the data collected through those systems was used in the operations. He also said countries that depend on Western technology platforms face serious vulnerabilities to cyberattacks. In his remarks, Bortnikov raised concerns about the reliability of artificial intelligence-based applications used in digital systems in strategic sectors. He said those systems leave open questions about security and trustworthiness.