Anonymous continues campaign against Iran
The group has attacked state media and websites, as well as sharing information on how to bypass restrictions on internet use.
Hacktivist collective Anonymous has concentrated its operations on Iran since the beginning of this month's widespread demonstrations, and claims to have compromised many websites belonging to the Iranian government - including that of the Iranian Assembly, the country's parliament.
Known for taking sides in major international conflicts, Anonymous said on 20th September that it was launching a 'cyber operation' against the Iranian regime. It planned to support the country's demonstrators protesting the death of Mahsa Amini.
Amini, who had travelled to Tehran from Kurdistan to visit relatives, passed away in police custody after being detained by the country's morality police, for wearing her hijab incorrectly. Although the police claim she suffered a heart attack, leaked medical scans show a cracked skull and internal bleeding. She was taken to the hospital, where she was later pronounced brain dead.
Amini's death sparked mass protests throughout Iran.
Hackers apparently belonging to Anonymous attacked the two main Iranian government websites on the 20th September, as well as a number of media websites. One of the government sites attacked was reportedly the 'smart services' website, which offers a variety of online services. Another was aimed at publishing government news, as well as interviews with officials.
'The largest Iranian media is getting hacked,' a tweet from Anonymous' official Twitter account stated.
Several other websites went down and recovered several times the next day, suggesting an ongoing struggle between the hackers and maintenance teams.
In recent days, the Iranian people have been exposed to persistent internet outages as the Government attempts to quell the protests.
In response, Anonymous provided Iranians with advice on how to circumvent the restrictions.
'After Instagram, WhatsApp is now restricted in Iran. Dear Iranians, use « Tor » to bypass it,' it said in a tweet.
The hackers also took over more than 300 Iranian cameras, using them to publish vidoes of the demonstrations.
The cyber attacks on Iran are reminiscent of the cyberwar waged by Anonymous against Russia, in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.
Since the start of the Ukraine crisis, Anonymous has claimed responsibility for attacks against a number of Russian organisations. The group declared its support for Western allies, stating that it would solely attack Russian operations.
Since the start of the Ukraine crisis, Anonymous has claimed responsibility for attacks against a number of Russian organisations. The group declared its support for Western allies, stating that it would solely attack Russian operations.
Like the attacks in Iran, Anonymous began its campaign against Russia by hacking local media. In March it hacked into state TV and streaming services, including Russia 24, Channel One, Moscow 24, Wink and Ivi, to show footage from the conflict in Ukraine to ordinary Russians.
The group also said it had breached Rosneft Deutschland - the German subsidiary of Russian energy company Rosneft - and stole 20 terabytes of data from its systems.
Attacks later moved to the private sector. In June, it claimed to have obtained the strategies and plans of a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer, after hacking the company's systems.