Iran Shuts Down Internet Access - Cyberattack Concerns

Iran Confirms Internet Shutdown Amidst Cyberattack Concerns

A widespread internet outage impacted nearly all of Iran’s population earlier this week, resulting in what has been described as a “near-total national internet blackout.”

Initially, the cause and responsible party for this disruption remained unclear. The shutdown significantly hampered Iranians’ access to information regarding the ongoing conflict with Israel and restricted their ability to maintain communication with family and friends both within and outside the nation.

Government Response and Justification

The Iranian government has now officially acknowledged ordering the internet shutdown as a defensive measure against potential Israeli cyberattacks.

Fatemeh Mohajerani, the government spokesperson, stated that security was the primary consideration. She explained that the nation had been experiencing cyberattacks targeting its critical infrastructure, including disruptions to banking systems. “We are witnessing cyberattacks on the country’s critical infrastructure and disruptions in the functioning of banks,” Mohajerani was quoted as saying.

Mohajerani further elaborated that many remotely operated drones rely on internet connectivity for management and control, and substantial data exchange occurs online. A recent hack of a cryptocurrency exchange also factored into the decision to impose internet restrictions.

Attacks and the Group "Predatory Sparrow"

The government spokesperson specifically referenced attacks on Bank Sepah and the Iranian cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex.

A hacking group known as Predatory Sparrow (or “Gonjeshke Darande” in Farsi) has claimed responsibility for these attacks. This group aims to destabilize the Iranian regime by targeting key organizations. Predatory Sparrow has demonstrated success in disrupting essential Iranian services, including gas stations and steel plants.

Impact on Iranian Citizens

The internet shutdown is causing significant hardship for ordinary Iranians, both those within the country and those living abroad, particularly during the period of Israeli military actions.

Amir Rashidi, director of cybersecurity and digital rights at Miaan Group, shared that his family had evacuated Tehran due to warnings from the Israeli government regarding potential targeting of their neighborhood.

“I haven’t heard from them in two days, but someone is supposed to update me. I hope everything is okay,” Rashidi said. Communication has been completely severed; incoming calls from outside the country do not ring through, and callers receive a meaningless recording.

Circumventing the Restrictions

Nariman Gharib, an Iranian activist and cyber-espionage investigator based in the U.K., noted that a limited number of individuals are able to access the internet.

These individuals utilize techniques such as virtual private servers as proxies or benefit from intermittent disruptions in the network that allow their ADSL connections to function. “There aren’t that many people able to get online,” Gharib explained. “My friends are tech-savvy, so they can bypass the restrictions, but generally, it’s very difficult because we have a complete internet shutdown in the country.”