Iranian petrol stations targeted in controlled cyberattack

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Cyberattack targeting pumping software caused havoc across Iran

Iran oil
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Iran’s fuel supply has been targeted in a cyberattack that affected around 70% of the country's petrol stations.

The Iranian government has accused a cyber group known as ‘Predatory Sparrow’ of being behind the attack, and alleges that the group has ties to Israel.

Israeli media also reported that the group was behind the attack, but a government spokesperson, Tal Heinrich, commented at a press briefing that, “We have nothing to say about Iran’s claims.”

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 Attack carried out in a “controlled manner”

The group claiming to be behind the attack released a comment via Telegram stating that, “the cyberattack was carried out in a controlled manner to avoid potential damage to emergency services.”

The Iranian Oil Minister, Javad Owji, said that of the 3,800 petrol stations the ministry is responsible for, only 1,650 were operational. Many of Iran’s petrol stations were able to continue supplying fuel to customers manually, as the attack specifically targeted software associated with the pumps. 

Predatory Sparrow also commented on the attack via Twitter, noting as with some of its previous "operations", this cyberattack, "was conducted in a controlled manner while taking measures to limit potential damage to emergency services,” adding that it had “delivered warnings to emergency services across the country before the operation began.”

Speaking to TechRadar Pro, Semperis’ Director of Security Research Yossi Rachman said, “From what I have observed and reviewed thus far from the Predatory Sparrow groups various communications channels, they compromised at least one server through-which they took control of Iran's gas stations central management system, by compromising the technical support or other administrative privileged accounts within the system and have been able to obtain sensitive gas station data & payment details.”

Critical infrastructure has become an increasingly important strategic target for state-sponsored cyber groups, with the US suffering a number of attacks allegedly orchestrated by groups backed by China and Iran, and China itself alleging that foreign software is deliberately gathering sensitive geographic information about it’s transport infrastructure and military.

Via Reuters.

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Senior Writer, Security

Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at TechRadar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.

Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with a robust academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations, and the ability to translate intricate security data into actionable insights.