Unveiling the Cyber Attack on Iran: Crucial Insights into the Hackers’ Actions

Around 70% of petrol stations in Iran experienced service disruptions on Monday due to a large-scale cyber attack carried out by a hacker group called Gonjeshke Darande, meaning “Predatory Sparrow” in Farsi. Iranian state media reported that the group has also claimed responsibility for attacks on petrol stations, rail networks, and steel factories in the country. As a result of the attacks, many petrol stations were forced to manually operate their pumps.

In a statement posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), Gonjeshke Darande stated, “We, Gonjeshke Darande, carried out another cyberattack today, taking out a majority of the gas pumps throughout Iran. This cyberattack comes in response to the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region. We delivered warnings to emergency services across the country before the operation began, and ensured a portion of the gas stations across the country were left unharmed for the same reason, despite our access and capability to completely disrupt their operation.”

According to the Times of Israel, the group joined X in December 2023 and has previously been linked to Israel. It is worth noting that approximately 300,000 Iranian Jews currently reside in Israel, many of whom fled Iran during the 1979 revolution when the Iranian Jewish community faced persecution and state-sanctioned violence. These individuals often maintain fluency in Farsi and have received education in Iran.

This is not the first time Iran has experienced a major cyber attack targeting its fuel supply. In October 2021, similar disruptions occurred, and Iran accused Israel and the United States of being responsible. The country’s civil defense agency, which oversees cybersecurity, is currently investigating the recent attack.

The Ministry of Petroleum in Iran has reassured the public that the disruption at petrol stations will not impact the price of fuel. Iranian fuel is heavily subsidized by the state, and previous attempts to raise fuel prices in 2019 resulted in widespread protests across the country.

In conclusion, the cyber attack on Iranian petrol stations by Gonjeshke Darande has caused significant disruptions to services, highlighting the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to cyber threats.