Israel-linked hackers claim to paralyze gas stations across Iran

A hacking group previously linked to Israel claims to have paralyzed gas stations across Iran in a cyber attack.

The group known as “Gonjeshke Darande,” or “predatory sparrow” says it has disabled “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,” it says in statements in Persian and English. “Khamenei, playing with fire has a price.”

The Reuters news agency quotes Iranian state media as saying that a number of gas stations in Tehran had stopped operating, but the cause was not clear.

“Gonjeshke Darande” has previously claimed a cyber attack on Iran’s major steel companies.

At the time Israeli military correspondents, who are regularly briefed off-the-record by senior Israeli officials, hinted that Israel was behind that hack.

(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

The incident comes as Iran-backed proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen have stepped up attacks against Israel in the wake of the war with Hamas.