A cyber attack hit Iranian government sites and nuclear facilities

As Middle East tensions rise, cyberattacks hit Iran’s government branches and nuclear facilities, following Israel’s response to Iran’s October 1 missile barrage.

Amid escalating Middle East tensions, Iran faced major cyberattacks Saturday, disrupting its government branches and targeting nuclear facilities. The massive cyberattack followed Israel’s pledged response to Iran’s October 1 missile barrage, as regional conflicts intensified in Gaza and Lebanon.

Abolhassan Firouzabadi, former secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for Cyberspace, told local media Iran suffered a cyber attack. Firouzabadi also added that threat actors stole sensitive information from targeted infrastructure.

“Nearly all three branches of Iran’s government – the judiciary, the legislature, and the executive branch – have been hit by heavy cyberattacks, and their information was stolen,” said Firouzabadi, the former secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace, was quoted as saying by the Iran International. “Our nuclear facilities have also been targeted by cyberattacks, as well as networks like fuel distribution, municipal networks, transportation networks, ports, and similar sectors. These are just part of a long list of various areas across the country that have been attacked,” he added.

Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization banned pagers and walkie-talkies on flights following sabotage attacks in Lebanon involving these devices, which killed 39 Hezbollah members.

“Iran’s civil aviation has banned carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights, the spokesman for the Civil Aviation Organization of Iran said. Jafar Yazerlo, cited by local media.” reported Agenzia Nova. “The decision was made more than three weeks after sabotage attacks against members of the Iranian-allied Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which saw pagers and walkie-talkies explode, killing at least 39 people.”

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, nuclear facilities)