TEHRAN, IRAN — A new report by cyber security firm ClearSky has found that hackers backed by the Iranian government have been exploiting bugs in corporate VPN servers.

Over the past three years this campaign has targeted numerous companies around the world ranging from the IT sector to the oil and gas, aviation, government and security sectors. In some cases, the hackers were able to exploit vulnerabilities in a short period of time.

The hackers developed and used infrastructure that would allow them to control and access their targets in the long-term, according to the report. They were able to use this technique to steal valuable information from targeted companies.

Researchers said that this could also be used to spread malware such as
ZeroCleare and Dustman. Both of these malware are designed to delete as much data from hacked devices as possible, according to ZDNet.

ZDNet points out that the report 'dispels the notion' that Iranian cyber hackers aren't as sophisticated as hackers in Russia, China or North Korea.