Reports say railway infrastructure and government offices in Iran hit by cyberattack
Who is targeting the trains in Iran? A cyberattack disrupted train lines, causing suspensions, delays and cancellations, with fake notices posted on station boards
Dan Arkin
| 11/07/2021
Photo: Bigstock
Iran's railway network was seriously disrupted over the weekend with delays and cancellations of various lines as a result of a cyberattack. A notice on electronic boards at train stations said "long delays due to cyberattacks", and that passengers could call the office of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which also appeared on the boards, for more information.
Reuters and Bloomberg reported that the hackers planted fake messages in the announcement system for passengers, causing great confusion. No organization or group took responsibility. The Washington Post quoted Iran's IRNA news agency as saying that other infrastructure belonging to the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development was also hit.
Iran's Fars news agency reported that the ticket sales system at train stations was also hit, and as a result passengers were unable to enter or exit the stations, causing chaos. However, the Tasnim news agency, calling for calm, reported that order was being restored and that the source of the cyberattack was being investigated.
It was not the first attack by hackers on Iran's railway network. In December 2019, the servers of the railway network were hit, causing major delays on many lines. After the "Stuxnet" cyberattack in the beginning of the 2000s, the authorities disconnected most of the infrastructure from the internet. At that time, it was reported that the cyberattack was carried out jointly by the U.S. and Israel.
Who is targeting the trains in Iran? A cyberattack disrupted train lines, causing suspensions, delays and cancellations, with fake notices posted on station boards
Photo: Bigstock
Iran's railway network was seriously disrupted over the weekend with delays and cancellations of various lines as a result of a cyberattack. A notice on electronic boards at train stations said "long delays due to cyberattacks", and that passengers could call the office of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which also appeared on the boards, for more information.
Reuters and Bloomberg reported that the hackers planted fake messages in the announcement system for passengers, causing great confusion. No organization or group took responsibility. The Washington Post quoted Iran's IRNA news agency as saying that other infrastructure belonging to the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development was also hit.
Iran's Fars news agency reported that the ticket sales system at train stations was also hit, and as a result passengers were unable to enter or exit the stations, causing chaos. However, the Tasnim news agency, calling for calm, reported that order was being restored and that the source of the cyberattack was being investigated.
It was not the first attack by hackers on Iran's railway network. In December 2019, the servers of the railway network were hit, causing major delays on many lines. After the "Stuxnet" cyberattack in the beginning of the 2000s, the authorities disconnected most of the infrastructure from the internet. At that time, it was reported that the cyberattack was carried out jointly by the U.S. and Israel.
