Israel’s cyberattack on Iran to make up for the failure in Gaza

WANA (Dec 18) – This morning, December 18, several gas stations across Iran, including many in Tehran, experienced service disruptions and are currently unable to provide Fuel.

The state television later announced that a cyber group from Israel named “the Predatory Sparrow” claimed responsibility for the issue and hacked Iran’s fueling system unlawfully; Israeli local media outlets also reported the claim.

“The Zionist and American enemies made this attack on our people because they were unsuccessful with their previous attacks in other areas,” Said Iran’s Oil Minister regarding this cyberattack.

Iran has experienced petrol outages in the past due to cyberattacks. In 2021, a significant cyberattack disrupted the sale of Fuel, resulting in long queues at petrol stations across the country; Iran then accused Israel and the United States of being behind those attacks.

In 2021, Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, said, “The disruption of fuel sales was meant to anger people by creating disorder. There should be serious readiness in the field of cyber war, and related bodies should not allow the enemy to follow their ominous aims,” he said on October 27, 2021.

However, this time, the situation was handled quite smoothly compared to the last time; some stations immediately started providing Fuel manually – without the system- for the citizens, and there were no signs of panic or distress in the streets; if the hackers’ ultimate goal behind this attack was to create chaos, then it did not go as they planned.

“Since we had this experience in 2021, we immediately activated the stations manually,” Said Javad Owji, Iran’s Oil Minister, after the incident.

A general view of a gas station during a gas station disruption in Tehran, Iran, December 18, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Of course, the recurrence of a similar incident raises concerns about Iran’s cybersecurity capabilities and the persistence of vulnerabilities within its critical infrastructure, as President Raisi mentioned.

It can not be denied that this attack could suggest that either the initial issues weren’t fully resolved or that there are persistent weaknesses in the systems that adversaries exploit.

Let’s not forget the sociological possible effects of this incident; this incident has the potential to ignite even more anti-Israeli sentiments among people, adding Fuel to an already raging fire of anger. The repercussions of this event could be far-reaching, and it’s essential to consider the potential impact on society.

It has been previously mentioned that cyberattacks from the West are not uncommon, and this recent attack will likely not be the last. However, it is crucial to observe how Iran will respond to this attack and their next course of action.

A general view of a gas station during a gas station disruption in Tehran, Iran, December 18, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)