Reactions to the Hacking of Gas Stations in Iran; Cyber Attacks 'Out of Control'

The news of the hacking of Iran's gas stations by the group 'Predatory Sparrow' on Monday, December 18, has sparked widespread reactions among social media users. Despite claims by the Islamic Republic's officials about security, intelligence superiority, and cyber dominance, this is at least the second time the country's gas stations have been hacked. While most users sarcastically or more seriously criticized the Islamic Republic, some pro-regime users downplayed the significance of this widespread cyber attack, referencing the actions of the Islamic Republic's proxy groups against Israeli citizens and commercial ships in the Red Sea. One user shared an image of Gholamreza Jalali, head of the country's Passive Defense Organization, stating that 'effective cyber attacks on the country's infrastructure have gone out of control during his endless command.' Another user, sharing a picture of four pro-regime individuals in front of the British Embassy in Tehran, asked, 'Now that the Predatory Sparrow group has hacked all the gas stations in the country, why aren't they using the 20-liter tanks of these four Basij youths who went to the British Embassy two years ago to solve the fuel problem of that country?' Another user, recalling the hacking of gas stations in 2021, noted, 'Officials say the gas station infrastructure is completely isolated and disconnected from the internet - the last time it was hacked, they said they would make everything more secure.' According to this user, images from this hack indicate that hackers 'had infiltrated the servers at least a week prior.' This user seemingly referred to statements from an official in the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Oil who recently claimed in a television program that the national fuel system is not connected to the internet, and therefore cannot be hacked. Another user shared an image of a gas station queue, stating, 'After about an hour, we are finally here!! What should we say now?! Oh right, nothing! Because the enemy will be happy!! We are unemployed!!!' Another user reacted to the news of the gas stations being hacked, saying, 'I wish instead of the internet protection plan and filtering, you would implement a plan to protect the rights of the people. For the second time under Raisi's government, the gas stations have been hacked. And the people are trapped.' Journalist Saba Azarpayk addressed Oil Minister Javad Owji, writing, 'Isn't the fuel system offline?! So what is this foreign hack? Last time you saw the sabotage was from the inside! What are the Ministry of Intelligence, Oil Security, and Passive Defense doing? What did you do last time that it happened again? Is this a joke in governance?' However, some pro-regime users also reacted to the news of the gas station hack by referencing a Tuesday attack on another ship in the Red Sea, which Houthi forces backed by the Islamic Republic have been accused of carrying out. While many users reported significant numbers of fuel stations shutting down due to the 'hack' earlier today, and a hacker group accepted responsibility for it, the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Oil referred to it as a 'disruption,' and the state media mentioned the possibility of 'external sabotage.' Following the hacking of the national fuel supply system, nearly 70% of the distribution stations for oil products went offline, causing disruptions in people's daily lives. On November 25, 2021, a similar cyber attack targeted the fuel card system and gas stations across the country, leading to widespread disruptions in fuel supply for vehicles. One day after that cyber attack, 'Voice of America' received an email from a group called 'Predatory Sparrow,' which not only accepted responsibility for the November 25 attack but also claimed responsibility for previous cyber attacks on the railway company and the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development. 'Predatory Sparrow' had previously claimed to have carried out cyber attacks on major steel companies in Iran. The Times of Israel reported that at that time, Israeli military journalists indicated that Israel was behind this hack. This incident occurs as proxy forces supported by the Iranian government, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, have increased their attacks against Israel following the war with Hamas. The United States claims that hackers affiliated with the Islamic Republic targeted several organizations. Axios: Hackers supported by the Islamic Republic have increased their activities in the region. Israel: Increased cyber attacks will have a 'cost' for the Islamic Republic. Hacking of the Ministry of Science website; hackers reported access to 20,000 documents. Aftershocks of the hacking of information from 18 insurance companies; the head of the Central Insurance of Iran was dismissed. The Martyrs Foundation confirmed a 'hacking attack' on its servers. A hacker group took the Iranian Foreign Ministry's systems offline. CNN: Iranian agents are entering the social media networks of detainees.