Israeli hackers claim responsibility for shutting down 70% of Iran gas stations in cyber attack
A pro-Israeli hacker group called ‘The Predatory Sparrow’ claims to have succeeded in shutting down most gas stations in the country, confirmed by Iranian and international media.
Iran is experiencing service disruptions at gas stations and traffic light systems across the country after a pro-Israel hacker group announced that it carried out a cyber attack against Iran, according to Iranian media. On Sunday, the hacker group called ‘The Predatory Sparrow’ claimed to have conducted the cyber attack against Iran. The group also released screenshots seemingly taken from the computer systems of the gas stations, displaying details of stations that were shut down, payment system information, and management system data. "The attack is in response to the aggression of Iran and its proxies in the region. Khamenei, playing with fire has a price," the pro-Israel group said in a published message.
Simultaneously, many media outlets in Iran reported that many gas stations are experiencing disruptions that led to their shutdown. Long queues of vehicles are reported at the few remaining operational stations. There are also reports of disruptions of some traffic light systems in Tehran. According to the hackers and other reports, 70% of the country's gas stations were shut down during the attack, with the group saying that they left 30% operational as a humanitarian gesture.
Reuters and Iranian state media Fars reported that a number of gas stations, particularly in Tehran, are indeed suffering from service disruptions. Reza Navar, spokesperson for Iran's gas stations association, told Reuters that this was due to "a software problem with the fuel system." Fars also said that the possibility of a cyber attack has not been ruled out.
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Meanwhile, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate announced this morning that Hezbollah and Iran were responsible for last month’s cyber attack against Ziv Medical Center in Safed, which led to the leaking of sensitive patient information. According to their statement, a joint investigation with the IDF and Shin Bet revealed that a cyber group from the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, as well as Hezbollah's cyber group were behind the attack. 300,000 patient records were stolen during the attack, which was the fourth cyber attack on an Israeli hospital in the last two years.
Reuters contributed to this report.
