Hacktivists reportedly disrupted services at about 70 percent of Iran's gas stations in a politically motivated cyberattack.
Iran's oil minister Javad Owji confirmed on Monday the IT systems of the nation's petrol stations had been attacked as Iranian media told of long queues at the pumps and traffic jams - particularly in Tehran - as folks tried and failed to fill up.
A spokesperson for the country's gas stations told the Fars News Agency insisted there was no fuel shortage, just an inability to pump that fuel.
A group called Gonjeshke Darande - or Predatory Sparrow - claimed responsibility for taking out the gas pumps.
This comes during a period of high tension in the Middle East stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict over Gaza.
Iran has accused the gang, which has also carried out cyberattacks on Iranian railway systems and a steel plant, of having ties to Israel.
The cyberassault comes as pro-Hamas crews linked to Iran have increased their digital disruptions on Israeli and American targets - including targeting water facilities in both countries.
The Israel National Cyber Directorate blamed Iran and Hezbollah for a cyberattack last month against Safed's Ziv Medical Center.
While the group failed to disrupt operations and halt medical treatment, the intruders did steal private data from the hospital's systems, according to the Israeli government.
This Cyber News was published on go.theregister.com. Publication date: Mon, 18 Dec 2023 23:13:05 +0000