Iran Confirms Internet Shutdown to Prevent Israeli Cyberattacks
By This past week, virtually all Iranian residents lost internet access during what many experts called an almost total blackout of access. The government of Iran has now confirmed that it did order the shutdown, claiming it had previously received information about major cyberattacks based on its ties to Israel.
In giving the lockout of communications, Fatemeh Mohajerani, an Iranian government spokesperson, said that it was in the name of national security: “Many enemy drones are routed through the internet and a lot of information is transferred in this manner. We also suffered cyberattacks on banks and a cryptocurrency exchange.”
Among the targeted sites were Bank Sepah and the crypto site Nobitex. A hacker group called Predatory Sparrow, who claim to be aligned with Israel, also said they ordered the attacks. This group also claimed to have taken responsibility for other cyber attacks in Iran, including shutting down gas stations and steel plants.
The internet shutdown has left ordinary Iranians struggling to stay informed about the war with Israel and cut off from family members. Phone calls from outside the country also no longer work.
Cybersecurity expert Amir Rashidi said he hasn’t heard from his family in Tehran since they fled a neighborhood warned by Israeli forces. Activist Nariman Gharib added that only a few tech-savvy people can still get online using proxies or lucky ADSL connections.
For now, most of Iran remains digitally silent.
