Israeli hacker group Gonjeshke Darande, also known as Predatory Sparrow, has taken responsibility for the crippling of Iranian gas station infrastructure, rendering 70% of gas stations inoperable. They claim the cyberattack was a “response to the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region.”
Oil Minister Javad Owji told Iranian state TV that services at about 70% of Iran's petrol stations had been disrupted on Monday, and the outside breach was a possible cause. The fuel outages caused long queues at stations.
Israeli hackers shared screenshots proving their activity in the Iranian gas station network, revealing individual gas station and payment system information, management systems accessed from the central server, and other documents.
“As we mentioned before, we will react against your evil provocations in the region,” Gonjeshke Darande posted in Persian on X.
“A month ago we warned you that we’re back and that we will impose costs for your provocations. This is just a taste of what we have in store,” the other post reads in English. “Khamenei (supreme leader of Iran), playing with fire has a price.”
The hackers claimed that they were able to disrupt the operation of gas stations in Iran completely. However, some stations were deliberately left unaffected to ensure access to emergency services across the country.
“As in our previous operations, this cyberattack was conducted in a controlled manner while taking measures to limit potential damage to emergency services,” hackers said.
Israel's government did not comment on the cyberattacks.
Last year, Gonjeshke Darande claimed to be behind a cyberattack against Iran’s steel industry companies, stealing 20GB of data. They also claimed responsibility for hacking Iran’s state railway company in a separate incident.
According to state television, Iran has witnessed a series of industrial accidents, including fires in oil facilities, petrochemical plants, and industrial centers in recent years. Numerous unexplained explosions and fires have occurred at various Iranian military, nuclear, and industrial facilities, including pipelines and refineries, since mid-2020. The incidents are often attributed to dated technology. However, Hadi Beiginezhad, a member of the Energy Committee in the parliament, criticized the authorities for not learning from similar attacks in the past.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are markedmarked