A cyberattack on Sunday disrupted access to Mahan Air, a privately owned airline in Iran, as reported by state TV. This incident is part of a series of cyberattacks on Iranian infrastructure, causing heightened concerns within the country.
Mahan Air’s website showed an error message indicating that the site was inaccessible. The airline released a statement asserting that it successfully thwarted the attack, and its flight schedule remained unaffected. The airline noted that it had faced similar breaches in the past.
On Sunday, numerous Mahan Air customers across Iran received unusual text messages. A group named Hoosyarane-Vatan, or Observants of Fatherland, claimed responsibility for the attack in these mass texts. The group alleged that the cyberattack was in response to the airline’s collaboration with Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. However, no supporting evidence was provided by the self-proclaimed hacking group.
Mahan Air operates flights from Tehran to multiple destinations in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The U.S. Treasury Department, responsible for sanctions compliance, blacklisted the airline in 2011, accusing it of “providing financial, material, and technological support” to the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, which is involved in the Islamic Republic’s foreign campaigns. The Treasury also accused Mahan Air of transporting weapons, goods, and personnel to the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
Iran has experienced significant cyberattacks in recent months, including one in October that paralyzed gas stations nationwide, leaving motorists stranded in long lines. President Ebrahim Raisi, without specifying a country, attributed the attacks to anti-Iranian forces aiming to create disorder and disruption. Another attack targeted the railroad system, causing widespread confusion with numerous trains delayed and canceled across Iran.
