Sarah Travers
In a significant blow to Iran’s fuel supply, an apparent cyberattack left nearly 70% of the country’s gas stations paralyzed on Monday. Iranian state television initially referred to the incident as a “software problem” and urged citizens not to flock to the still-operational fuel stations.
This attack has raised alarms about Iran’s susceptibility to cyber threats, with Israeli media linking the issue to a hacker group called “Gonjeshke Darande,” also known as the predatory sparrow.
According to the Iranian Oil Ministry, approximately 30% of gas stations managed to remain open out of a total of 33,000 stations nationwide.
This event is just the latest in a series of cyberattacks targeting various sectors in Iran in recent years. Gas stations, railway systems, and industrial facilities have all fallen victim to such attacks. Even government building surveillance cameras, including those in prisons, have not been immune to hacking.
The Gonjeshke Darande group, responsible for this recent attack, had previously targeted a major steel company in Iran’s southwest region in 2022. They also claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Iran’s fuel distribution system in 2021, leading to long lines of frustrated motorists.
Iran’s cybersecurity challenges are compounded by limited access to up-to-date hardware and software. The nation often relies on Chinese-manufactured electronics or outdated systems that no longer receive manufacturer patches, making them vulnerable to potential attacks.
Furthermore, the widespread use of pirated versions of software, including Windows, in Iran exacerbates the country’s cybersecurity risks.
The recent incident serves as a reminder of the Stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to be a collaborative effort between the United States and Israel. This virus disrupted thousands of Iranian centrifuges in the country’s nuclear sites during the late 2000s, prompting Iran to disconnect much of its government infrastructure from the internet.
This situation underscores the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures and emphasizes Iran’s urgency in enhancing its cybersecurity infrastructure to safeguard its critical systems and assets from future cyber threats.
