&w=3840&q=100)
Israeli hackers claim attack on Iran's state-owned bank, critical security websites
The hack comes amid increasing hostilities between Israel and Iran, after Israel attacked multiple military and nuclear targets in Iran last week. Both sides have launched multiple missile attacks against each other in the days since read more
An anti-Iranian government hacking group with potential ties to Israel and a track record of destructive cyberattacks on Iran claimed in social media posts on Tuesday that it had destroyed data at Iran's state-owned Bank Sepah.
The group — known as Gonjeshke Darande, or 'Predatory Sparrow' — hacked the bank because they accused it of helping fund Iran's military, according to one of the messages posted online.
The hack comes amid increasing hostilities between Israel and Iran, after Israel attacked multiple military and nuclear targets in Iran last week. Both sides have launched multiple missile attacks against each other in the days since.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Reuters could not immediately verify the attack on Bank Sepah. The bank's website was offline on Tuesday and its London-based subsidiary, Bank Sepah International plc, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Customers were having problems accessing their accounts, according to Israeli media, opens new tab
Gonjeshke Darande did not respond to multiple messages sent via social media.
'Disrupting the availability of this bank's funds, or triggering a broader collapse of trust in Iranian banks, could have major impacts there,' Rob Joyce, the former top cybersecurity official at the NSA, said in a post on X.
In 2022, Gonjeshke Darande claimed responsibility for a cyberattack against an Iranian steel production facility. The sophisticated attack caused a large fire at the facility, resulting in tangible, offline damage. Such attacks are usually beyond the capabilities of activist hackers, security experts say, and would be more in line with the capabilities of a nation state.
The group has also been publicly linked by cybersecurity researchers to a 2021 cyberattack that caused widespread outages at gas stations across Iran.
Israel has never formally acknowledged that it is behind the group, although Israeli media have widely reported Gonjeshke Darande as 'Israel-linked'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
24 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Rupee falls as corporate dollar bids, elevated oil prices weigh
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel The Indian rupee declined on Wednesday on the back of persistent corporate hedging activity and elevated oil prices as market participants continued to fret over escalating hostilities in the Middle rupee ended at 86.4775 against the U.S. dollar, down nearly 0.3% from its close of 86.24 in the previous currency slipped past 86.50, a closely watched psychological support level, to hit its weakest level in over two months before slightly paring pointed to dollar bids from local corporates, including oil companies, and speculative interest on wagering against the local currency among factors that hurt the prices remained elevated - albeit cooling off the highs hit on Tuesday - as markets weighed the chance of supply disruptions from the Iran-Israel conflict. Brent crude oil futures were last quoted at $75.5 per tepid risk sentiment also weighed on Asian equity markets with India's benchmark equity indexes, the BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 , logging a fall of about 0.2% the dollar-rupee forward premiums nudged higher. The 1-month forward premium rose to 10 paisa, with traders citing paying interest spurred by arbitrage between non-deliverable and onshore 1-year dollar-rupee implied yield also ticked up to 1.83%.Price action on the dollar-rupee pair is "cementing the upward bias," a trader at a foreign bank said, adding that further escalations in the Iran-Israel conflict could push it closer to in the day, the focus will be on the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy central bank is widely expected to keep rates unchanged with updates to its future economic projections and remarks from Chair Jerome Powell keenly awaited by market participants."The Fed will likely consider any oil price shock as much a threat to growth as to inflation," DBS Bank said in a note.
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Who will succeed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei if Israel takes him down? Here are top 5 contenders
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a recent interview, sent out an overt assassination threat to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, suggesting that the latter's assassination would probably draw an end to the long-lasting tensions between the two nations. Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz also issued a similar warning, saying Khamenei could meet the same fate as former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Hours after he left the G7 Summit, US President Trump added to the warnings against Iran's leadership. He said the United States knows the exact location of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and could 'take him out," but is choosing not to — 'at least not for now". If Iran falls, the question is, who is going to succeed Khamenei? Mojtaba Khamenei is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's second son, and might be the most probable successor. Born in 1969, Mojtaba is deeply involved with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran's clerical establishment. Mojtaba is currently a mid-ranking cleric with strong influence in the administration of the nation. Alireza Arafi is an extremely trusted aide of Khamenei. Arafi holds key positions, including deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts, member of the Guardian Council, and Friday prayer leader in Qom. His has an enhanced knowledge and understanding of Iran's power structure. Ali Asghar Hejazi looks after the political security affairs at Khamenei's office. Known for his critical role in the administration, he has been overseeing Iran's intelligence handling and plays an irreplaceable role in decision-making in terms of defence and strategy. Mohammad Golpayegani has been serving as the chief of staff in Khamenei's office for a long time, and is one of his most trusted aides. Known for being Khamenei's extremely trusted, he has extensive knowledge of how the Iranian administrative system works. The Iranian constitution gives the power of succession to the assembly of experts. An 88-member body of senior clerics, who are elected every eight years, it is expected to deliberate in secret and even engage in appointing a leadership council rather than a single Supreme Leader. Crushing the chilling threats issued by Israel, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Wednesday that his country will show no mercy to the rulers of its enemy nation. 'We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy,' he posted on X.
The Wire
28 minutes ago
- The Wire
Israel Strikes Iran Again: UN Nuclear Body Says Two Centrifuge Production Facilities Hit
Smoke rises from the building of Iran's state-run television after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 16, 2025. Photo: AP/PTI Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute Now Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday (June 18) refused to heed US President Donald Trump's call for an unconditional surrender. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public remarks since Friday in a statement that was read live on Iranian TV by a presenter. 'Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation, and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender,' the statement on Wednesday said. 'The Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage,' it added. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists (HRA) said that Israeli airstrikes on Iran have killed at least 585 people and wounded another 1,326 since hostilities escalated last week. The human rights group said it identified 239 of those killed as civilians and 126 as security personnel. Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls from the conflict. The most recent number cited by a Health Ministry spokesperson was 224 deaths, announced early on Monday. HRA cited nongovernmental sources in its report. The organization previously compiled detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who was arrested by Iran's 'morality police' in September of that year. Her death in custody sparked months of anti-government protests across Iran. Two centrifuge production facilities struck in Iran: IAEA The UN's nuclear watchdog said it had information that two facilities in Iran that made centrifuge parts have been hit. The International Atomic Energy Agency said: 'The TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center, were hit.' The agency added that both sites had previously been under IAEA monitoring. 'At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested. At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured,' the IAEA wrote on X. Centrifuges are machines used in enriching uranium, a process necessary for nuclear power and also nuclear weapons development. Iran's UN ambassador warns of response 'without restraint' to Israeli strikes Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Ali Bahreini, said the country would 'respond strongly' to Israel's 'aggression' as well as to the United States, should it join the hostilities. 'We will not show any reluctance in defending our people, security and land,' he told reporters in Geneva. 'We will respond seriously and strongly, without restraint.' Bahreini accused the United States of being 'complicit in what Israel is doing.' 'We have given a message to the United States that we will respond very firmly and will stop the aggression by anybody — including the United States,' he said Bahreini also said Israeli strikes on nuclear sites were an act of 'war against humanity.' 'The deliberate targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities not only constitutes a grave violation of international law and UN Charter but also risks exposition of all people in our neighbourhood to possible hazardous leak,' he said. 'This is not an act of war against our country,' he said. 'It is war against humanity.' Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. Israel and the United States accuse Iran of working toward a nuclear weapon. The comments come as thousands flee Tehran and other major cities as Israel and Iran continuing launching strikes on one another. US President Donald Trump has called for Tehran's unconditional surrender. These updates first appeared on DW. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
