On Wednesday, the Central Bank of Iran was hit with a massive cyber attack. Other Iranian banks were also targeted.
A massive cyber attack targeted the Central Bank of Iran on Wednesday, according to a report in the Saudi-affiliated Iran International.
Other banks were also hit, with major disruptions to the banking system of the Islamic Republic. This is reportedly one of the largest hacks in the country’s history.
Hackers stole information belonging to account holders in Iran’s largest bank, as well as others, the report said.
This comes as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has stressed that it is a religious duty to strike back against Israel, which Tehran blames for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31.
Here’s the fun bit: The hackers, or at least someone working with the hackers, are in Iran.
Iran has boasted that Israel’s capabilities are not as strong as it believes, but the cyberattack, which has not been claimed by any party, shows the regime’s vulnerability.
Anonymous activists stuck notes to ATM machines mocking the regime. “Dear customers,” the message read, “it is not possible to withdraw money from the bank because all of Iran’s budget and national resources have been invested in the war for the benefit of the corrupt regime of the Islamic Republic.”
As of this writing, no nation or group has claimed responsibility for this attack, although we may very well guess.
See Related: Report: Iran Is Planning Another Attack on Israel – on Another Israeli Holiday
Iran Says Only a Gaza Ceasefire Can Stop Their Attack on Israel
This is the largest cyber attack on Iran since December of 2023, when an Israel-backed group named “Gonjeshke Darande” (Predatory Sparrow) targeted the Islamic Republic’s fuel infrastructure, paralyzing 70 percent of gasoline stations in Iran. The group then released a statement warning Iran against continuing its aggressions in the region. Iran does not appear to have heeded any such warning.
(1/2) 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.
Khamenei, playing with fire has a price.
— Gonjeshke Darande (@darandegonjeshk) December 18, 2023
“Predatory Sparrow” has also launched other cyber-attacks against Iran, including a 2022 attack that caused a major fire in a steel plant. The group has not yet made any statement about this latest attack on Iran’s banking system.
Cyber warfare will, in any future conflict, be one of the primary battlespaces. This event and the ones that preceded it are showing us very clearly how a cyber-warfare attack can take down a country’s infrastructure, from the banking sector to heavy industry — and, presumably, the electrical grid.
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