LA freeway sign hijacked to doxx political dissidents in latest Iranian-linked hacking
The hackers’ allegedly possess a “Burn List” exposing the names, faces, and personal information of Iranian dissidents.
Image by Walter Cicchetti | Shutterstock
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
An LA freeway sign – located near a well-known Persian enclave in the city – is hijacked by pro-Iranian hackers, flashing the URL of a website used to expose the names and faces of Iranian dissidents worldwide.
The unauthorized digital message – spelling out the website address Goorkan[.]com – was first seen by drivers on the I-405 near Westwood on Tuesday, September 8th.
The site is known for publishing names, photos, and personal information on members of the Iranian diaspora who oppose the current regime.
Westwood is a neighborhood in LA populated by the Iranian diaspora, and even boasts its own Persian Square.
Its main drag, Westwood Boulevard, is a hotbed for anti-regime demonstrators, who earlier this year have taken to the streets to celebrate the death of the Ayatollah Khamenei and support the War in Iran.
The hijacked sign was up for a full week before it was reported to the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), which, in a statement sent to Cybernews, said it quickly addressed the incident.
This Portable Changeable Message Sign (PCMS) unit is one used for the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Pavement Rehabilitation Project.the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) told Cybernews.
The Caltrans project team was alerted to the unauthorized message Sept. 15, and alerted the contractor to restore normal operations,
CALTRANS, which also says it is now investigating the sign's access history, listed the joint contractors as C.A. Rasmussen, Inc. and FBD Vanguard Construction, Inc.
What is Goorkan?
The website “Goorkan” – translated from Farsi to “Grave Digger” in English – describes itself as an intelligence ecosystem dedicated to doxxing Iranian dissidents, who are also accused of being agents for Israel.
The site, which boasts its own Burn List of targeted dissidents, also calls Iran “A nation with zero history of aggression.”
From your everyday chats to your visa and residency status, everything is locked on our servers.Goorkan claims about its alleged "Burn List."
Every contract, every wire transfer, and every midnight call is now a document in a file that can no longer be denied,
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