October 27, 2021
The normal operation of gas stations run by the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC) was disrupted by a cyberattack that affected the entire distribution network.
The cyberattack has led to a series of hacks on electronic road billboards that displayed messages asking for an explanation or demanding fuel.
The NIOPDC network includes more than 3,500 stations nationwide and has supplied oil products for more than eight decades.
The cyberattack left many Iranians waiting for hours for gas stations to open and left them without fuel.
The cause of the disturbance is under investigation and there is still no public information about the culprit, but Iran is blaming a hostile country.
Media reports said a “cyberattack 64411” message appeared to target customers trying to buy subsidized fuel at 5 cents a liter or 20 cents a gallon, with government-issued cards.
Cyberattack 64411 refers to a cyberattack in July that affected the Iranian train service. The attackers also altered the railway message boards to show that cybercriminals caused delays or cancellations of trains and displayed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s number.
Many local media reports initially said the fault at the gas station was due to a technical malfunction but later attributed the problem to a cyberattack.
For more information, read the original story in BleepingComputer.
