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On Monday, a significant cyber attack disrupted petrol stations across Iran, with a hacker group linked to Israel reportedly claiming responsibility for the incident. The attack affected services at nearly 70% of the country’s fuel stations, according to Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji. The Predatory Sparrow group, who has historically claimed responsibility for several cyberattacks against Iran, acknowledged perpetrating the interruption. However, regional security officials are still investigating all possible causes for the disruptions.
- The disruption caused many petrol stations, particularly in Tehran, to operate manually.
- Despite the ongoing technical difficulties, 30% of fuel stations remained operational.
- The oil ministry has emphatically stated that this incident is not linked with plans to increase the price of fuel.
Iran’s civil defence agency, responsible for the country’s cybersecurity, is spearheading the investigation into the attack. This disruption is the first of its kind since a major cyberattack in 2021 that significantly impeded Iran’s sale of fuel and triggered lengthy queues at petrol stations nationwide. The Iranian administration accused Israel and the United States of orchestrating the 2021 attacks.
Reza Navar, a spokesperson for Iran’s petrol stations association, affirmed that there was no fuel supply shortage but urged drivers to refrain from visiting petrol stations. According to Navar, the disruption was caused by a software issue affecting the fuel system at various stations across the country. Experts are presently working to resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Cyber Unit stated that Iran and Hezbollah instigated an attempted cyber attack on a northern Israeli hospital three weeks ago. They claimed that the assailants had successfully extracted some sensitive information from the hospital’s information systems. However, the Israeli authorities have not yet responded to the allegations concerning the recent cyber attack in Iran.
