Iran Says Israel, U.S. Likely Behind Cyberattack on Gas Stations
Iran Says Israel, U.S. Likely Behind Cyberattack on Gas Stations
(Bloomberg) --
An Iranian general said Israel and the U.S. were probably behind an Oct. 26 cyberattack that paralyzed gasoline stations across Iran, state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Initial investigations show “the U.S. and the Zionists” are likely to have been responsible for the “highly complicated” assault, General Gholamreza Jalali, head of Iran’s passive defense organization, said in an interview to state TV on Saturday, according to IRNA.
A final identification will be determined after all assessments are completed, Jalali said, adding that investigators were also looking into whether any Iranian institutions were involved.
Jalali said the attack bore similarities to cyber strikes on Iran’s rail network and the Shahid Rajaee port, a major trade terminal on the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Iranian officials also blamed the U.S. and Israel for those attacks.
Tuesday’s cyberattack targeted software that controls an online payment system used by tens of millions of drivers in Iran to buy state-subsidized fuel at gasoline stations. The strike came near the anniversary of widespread and violent protests against a hike in fuel prices in mid-November 2019.
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