Hackers Linked To Israel Launch Cyber Attack, 60 Percent Of Gasoline Poms In Iran Are Paralyzed

Illustration of a gas station in Borjerd, Iran. (Wikimedia Commons/Asadi s)

JAKARTA - A hacker group calling itself "Predatory Sparrow" or "Gonjeshke Darande" in Persian) claims to have launched a cyberattack on Monday that left the majority of Iran's gas station network paralyzed.

"We, Gonjeshke Darande, are back on cyberattacks today, destroying most of the gas stations throughout Iran. These cyber attacks occurred in response to the aggression of the Republic of Iran and its proxies in the region. (Iran's Supreme Leader Ali) Khamenei, playing with fire is priced," the group wrote in a statement on social media X., reported The Jerusalem Post December 18.

"A month ago, we warned you, we came back and we will charge for your provocation. This is just a picture of what we have," the group added, attaching a screenshot of the documents they claim were obtained from an impacted gas station server.

Shortly after a statement issued by Predatory Sparrow, Iranian state media reported most gas stations across the country had stopped operating due to alleged cyber attacks.

(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

(1/2) We, Gonjeshke Darande, carried out another cyberattack today, taking out a majority of the gas pumps through Iran. This cyberattack came in response to the aggressive of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region. Khamenei, playing with fire has a price.

Jalil Salari, deputy oil minister in Iran, told Fars News Agency that about 60 percent of gas stations across the country are having problems. Sarari claims the problem will be resolved by the end of today.

Meanwhile, Reza Navaz, a spokesman for the Association of National Gas Station Owners, previously told Fars there was a "software issue" at several gas stations, but also confirmed that "there was no problem supplying fuel to cars at stations and there was enough gasoline available."

Navaz added, "experts are working on this issue" and requested that drivers with enough fuel not go to the gas station for now until the matter is resolved.

It is known that Predatory Sparrow previously claimed responsibility for cyberattacks targeting gas stations, rail systems and steel factories in Iran.

The hacktivist group has been linked with Israel through several reports. Past attacks on Iranian gas stations claimed by the group were linked to Israel by two unnamed US defense officials, according to The New York Times.

In October, John Hultquist, head of analyst Mandiant Intelligence at Google Cloud told reporters Predatory Sparrow was "of course a player to watch out for" after announcing that they would resume operations after the break since January.