Post

Iran Confirmed It Shut Down Internet

Posted
By 10alert
4 min read
Iran Confirmed It Shut Down Internet

Conclusion

I will start

title: “Iran Confirms Internet Shutdown to Counter Israeli Cyberattacks” categories: [ Cybersecurity & Data Protection,Cybersecurity)] description: “Explore the recent internet blackout in Iran, a strategic move to protect against Israeli cyberattacks amid escalating tensions. Learn about the impact on communication, banking, and cryptocurrency exchanges.” author: Vitus date: 2025-06-21 tags: [cybersecurity, cyberattacks, iran] —

TL;DR

Iran recently experienced a near-total internet blackout as a defense mechanism against Israeli cyberattacks. The shutdown aimed to protect critical infrastructure and disrupt drone control systems, highlighting the escalating cyber warfare between the two nations.

Iran Confirms Internet Shutdown to Counter Israeli Cyberattacks

On Wednesday, Iran experienced a near-total internet blackout amid escalating tensions with Israel. The Iranian government confirmed that the shutdown was a strategic move to counter Israeli cyberattacks, which posed threats to the country’s critical infrastructure and drone control systems1.

Unclear Causes and Initial Confusion

Initially, the cause of the internet shutdown was unclear, leaving citizens with limited access to information about the conflict with Israel and hindering communication with loved ones both domestically and abroad. The timing coincided with a wave of cyberattacks and military conflict, but no specific technical failure or external cyber operation was immediately identified2.

⚠ Confirmed: Live network data show #Iran is now in the midst of a near-total national internet blackout; the incident follows a series of earlier partial disruptions and comes amid escalating military tensions with Israel after days of back-and-forth missile strikes 📉 pic.twitter.com/Iu598aIMRJ

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) June 18, 2025

Government Explanation and Cyberattack Impact

The Iranian government spokesperson, Fatemeh Mohajerani, announced that the internet restriction was implemented to prevent damage from cyberattacks carried out by Israel. The spokesperson cited the control of enemy drones via the internet and cyberattacks on the country’s basic infrastructure as primary reasons for the shutdown3.

“We have already said in advance regarding internet restrictions that if we are forced to, we will definitely turn to the national internet and the global internet will be restricted. Security is the main issue for all of us, and we are witnessing cyberattacks on the country’s basic infrastructure and disruptions in the functioning of banks.” — Fatemeh Mohajerani, Government Spokesperson

“Many enemy drones are managed and controlled via the Internet, and a large portion of information is exchanged through this means. A cryptocurrency exchange was also hacked, and with all these issues, we decided to restrict the Internet.” — Fatemeh Mohajerani, Government Spokesperson

Impact on Cryptocurrency and Banking

The internet blackout followed several cyberattacks on Iranian institutions, including major banks like Iran’s Bank Sepah. Iranian media reported that Israel was waging a “massive cyber war,” prompting authorities to restrict internet access nationwide. Cloudflare and other firms reported significant internet traffic disruptions4.

Additionally, Iran’s largest crypto exchange, Nobitex, was hacked, with funds stolen from its hot wallet. The pro-Israel hacking group “Predatory Sparrow” claimed responsibility for the cyberattacks, accusing Iran of using the exchange to evade sanctions. The group reportedly sent the stolen crypto to unusable wallets, and Nobitex confirmed the breach, suspending access5.

⚠ Update: #Iran has now been largely offline for 60 hours; metrics show the internet shutdown continues to severely limit the public's ability to express political viewpoints, communicate freely, and follow safety alerts amid ongoing conflict with Israel ⏱ pic.twitter.com/EkYtbTvkiY

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) June 21, 2025

Conclusion

The internet shutdown in Iran highlights the escalating cyber warfare between Iran and Israel. As both nations continue to engage in military and cyber conflicts, the impact on civilian communication and critical infrastructure remains a significant concern. The situation underscores the growing importance of cybersecurity in modern warfare and the need for robust defenses against such threats.

For more details, visit the full article: source

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Mastodon.

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Iran)

Additional Resources

For further insights, check:

References

  1. NetBlocks (June 18, 2025). “Confirmed: Live network data show #Iran is now in the midst of a near-total national internet blackout”. Twitter. Retrieved June 21, 2025. ↩︎

  2. Security Affairs (June 21, 2025). “Iran experienced a near-total internet blackout”. Security Affairs. Retrieved June 21, 2025. ↩︎

  3. CHN (June 21, 2025). “Iranian website CHN states”. CHN. Retrieved June 21, 2025. ↩︎

  4. Cloudflare (June 21, 2025). “Internet traffic disruption reported”. Cloudflare. Retrieved June 21, 2025. ↩︎

  5. CNN World (June 18, 2025). “Pro-Israel hackers target Iran’s crypto exchange”. CNN. Retrieved June 21, 2025. ↩︎

This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.