The gas stations of the National Iranian Petroleum Distribution Company (NIOPDC) stopped operating today due to a cyberattack that affected the entire distribution network.
The incident has spawned a series of hacks into electronic street billboards to display messages demanding explanations or asking for fuel.
The NIOPDC network has more than 3,500 stations across the country and has been supplying petroleum products for more than 80 years.
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Hackers repeat a previous attack
An investigation is looking into the cause of the disturbance and there is no public information about who did it at this time, but Iran is blaming a hostile country.
One indication, which could also be a “false lead”, is a message displayed on the machines that reads “cyberattack 64411”.
The note is a reference to a cyberattack in July that disrupted Iran's railway service. The attackers also modified railway message boards to say that hackers had caused trains to be delayed or canceled and displayed the phone number of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's office.
An investigation by cybersecurity firm SentinelOne revealed that Iran's railway station system was targeted with malware specifically created to delete data (file wiper) and called Meteor.
Today's attack left some Iranians waiting for hours for gas stations to open and left without fuel.
According to media reports, the message "cyberattack 64411" appeared to customers who tried to fill up with fuel at 5 cents per liter or 20 cents per gallon using government-issued cards.
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As news spread that the NIOPDC distribution network was under attack, digital billboards in many cities in Iran began displaying messages saying “Khamenei! Where is our fuel?” and “Free fuel at Jamaran station.”
Some local media initially reported that the gas station outage was caused by a technical malfunction and later noted that the issue was due to a cyberattack.
According to BBC journalists Shayan Sardarizadeh and Kian Sharifi, Iranian state television has confirmed reports of a cyberattack hitting gas stations, and Iran's Supreme Cyberspace Council believes the incident is state-sponsored, although it is too early to say which country is behind it.
Information source: bleepingcomputer.com
