Last month, Iran suffered from a cyberattack that heavily impacted its gas stations. It has since been determined that Israeli operatives were responsible for the attack, increasing the already-heavy tension between the Middle East rivals. Two US defense officials attributed the attacks to Israeli forces, according to media reports. The attacks may have been timed to coincide with nationwide protests in Iran two years ago, which resulted in an increase in fuel prices. Israeli hackers were able to take thousands of gas stations out of commission for roughly two weeks. They also hijacked billboards in major cities to display messages encouraging citizens to complain about the gas issue to supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
According to local reports, many pumps had to be reset manually, a process that can result in long delays. There were also suggestions that the attackers were able to access secret government data on international oil sales. Just days later, Iranian hackers breached and leaked the personal information of thousands of Israeli patients and users of the LGBTQ+ site Atraf. The attack appears to have been in retaliation. It is unclear whether the attacks on either end were directly state-backed or if they were conducted by freelancers.
Read More: Israel Blamed for Crippling Attack on Iranian Gas Stations
