Suspected Israel-Linked Hackers Claim Destructive Strike on Iran’s Bank Sepah
A hacking collective calling itself Gonjeshke Darande (“Predatory Sparrow”) says it has wiped data at Iran’s state-owned Bank Sepah, escalating a long-running cyber shadow-war that mirrors the current shooting conflict between Israel and Iran.
Attack Announced on Social Media
In posts published early Tuesday, the group accused Bank Sepah of financing Iran’s military apparatus and claimed to have “destroyed critical databases” belonging to the century-old lender. By mid-morning the bank’s main website was unreachable, and customers reported being locked out of online accounts. The bank’s London subsidiary did not respond to requests for comment.
High Stakes for Iran’s Financial System
Former U.S. National Security Agency cyber chief Rob Joyce warned that prolonged disruption at one of Iran’s largest banks could trigger “a broader collapse of trust” across the country’s heavily sanctioned banking sector.
Cyber Front in a Wider Conflict
The breach comes just days after Israel struck multiple military and nuclear facilities inside Iran; both nations have since exchanged missile salvos. Analysts note that kinetic clashes in the region often run in parallel with covert digital operations aimed at critical infrastructure.
Track Record of Physical Damage
Predatory Sparrow is no ordinary hack-tivist outfit. In 2022 it sabotaged an Iranian steel plant, sparking a fire that halted production, and in 2021 it crippled the nation’s fuel-pump network, leaving motorists queuing for hours. Cyber-security researchers say the sophistication of those attacks implies state backing, though Israel has never acknowledged any link.
What We Know About Bank Sepah
Founded in 1925, Bank Sepah is Iran’s oldest bank and has long been under U.S. and EU sanctions over its alleged role in funding the country’s ballistic-missile programme. It holds billions of dollars in assets and serves millions of customers. Prolonged outages could hamper salary payments, trade finance and ATM withdrawals nationwide.
Next Steps and Unknowns
Iranian authorities have yet to confirm or deny the breach, and the extent of any data loss remains unverified. Cyber-forensics teams must first regain network access before assessing damage or restoring back-ups—a process that can take weeks if attackers also corrupted disaster-recovery sites.
With missile exchanges showing no sign of abating and cyberspace now firmly part of the battlefield, regional security analysts predict further tit-for-tat hacks targeting banks, energy grids and transport hubs. For ordinary Iranians, the most immediate concern is simpler: when will their bank cards start working again?
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