TEHRAN — Iran’s state-owned Sepah Bank was hit by a major cyberattack this week, causing widespread disruption to banking services and gas station payment systems across the country.
The cyberattack reportedly targeted the bank’s core infrastructure, temporarily shutting down access to digital banking, ATMs, and payment terminals — including those used at fuel stations. The incident created delays and service interruptions for customers nationwide.
An anti-regime hacker group known as “Gonjeshke Darande” (Persian for “Predatory Sparrow”) has claimed responsibility for the attack. The group posted online messages stating the cyber operation was in response to the actions of the Iranian regime.
The attack comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, with both countries engaged in cyber and proxy conflicts in recent years. Iranian officials have not publicly confirmed the group’s claims or commented on potential international involvement, though an investigation into the incident is reportedly underway.
Sepah Bank, one of Iran’s largest and oldest financial institutions, has close ties to Iran’s military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It has previously been subject to U.S. and international sanctions.
While Iranian state media acknowledged the disruption, they did not directly attribute it to a cyberattack. However, multiple Iranian news outlets and social media users reported widespread outages and banking failures coinciding with the incident.
This is not the first time “Gonjeshke Darande” has claimed responsibility for high-profile cyberattacks in Iran. The group previously targeted infrastructure and government agencies, often timing their operations with key political or military developments.
