{"id":175957,"date":"2025-06-20T16:44:19","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T16:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/20\/irans-government-says-it-shut-down-internet-to-protect-against-cyberattacks-techcrunch\/"},"modified":"2025-06-20T16:44:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T16:44:19","slug":"irans-government-says-it-shut-down-internet-to-protect-against-cyberattacks-techcrunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/20\/irans-government-says-it-shut-down-internet-to-protect-against-cyberattacks-techcrunch\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran’s government says it shut down internet to protect against cyberattacks | TechCrunch"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Earlier this week, virtually everyone in Iran lost access to the internet<\/a> in what was called a \u201cnear-total national internet blackout.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the time, it was unclear what happened or who was responsible for the shutdown, which has severely limited Iranians\u2019 means to get information about the ongoing war with Israel, as well as their ability to communicate with loved ones inside and outside of the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now Iran\u2019s government has confirmed that it ordered the shutdown to protect against Israeli cyberattacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have previously stated that if necessary, we will certainly switch to a national internet and restrict global internet access. Security is our main concern, and we are witnessing cyberattacks on the country\u2019s critical infrastructure and disruptions in the functioning of banks,\u201d Fatemeh Mohajerani, Iran\u2019s government spokesperson, was quoted as saying in a local news story<\/a>. \u201cMany of the enemy\u2019s drones are managed and controlled via the internet, and a large amount of information is exchanged this way. A cryptocurrency exchange was also hacked, and considering all these issues, we have decided to impose internet restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The world must see the truth!<\/p>\n

The Israeli regime is not only committing aggression against Iran\u2014it is waging a war on truth and human conscience.<\/p>\n

Israel has banned foreign media from covering missile strikes, subject to #IDF<\/a> censorship.<\/p>\n

Why? To hide its crimes: While #Iran<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Foreign Ministry, Islamic Republic of Iran \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf7 (@IRIMFA_EN) June 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Mohajerani referred to the hacks on Bank Sepah<\/a> and Iranian cryptocurrency exchange Nobitex<\/a>. In both cases, a group of hackers called Predatory Sparrow (also known in Farsi as \u201cGonjeshke Darande\u201d) claimed responsibility and said it was attacking Iranian organizations to hurt the regime. Predatory Sparrow is a mysterious group that purports to be a group of pro-Israel hacktivists, which has had a lot of success disrupting key services in Iran<\/a>, like gas stations<\/a> and steel plants<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Everyday Iranians, in and outside of the country, are suffering from the internet shutdown in the midst of Israeli bombardments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amir Rashidi, director of cybersecurity and digital rights at Miaan Group, told TechCrunch that his family evacuated Tehran, as they lived in a neighborhood that the Israeli government warned it was going to target.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t heard from them in two days, but someone is supposed to update me. I hope everything is okay,\u201d Rashidi said. It\u2019s not just the internet. All forms of communication from outside to inside the country have been cut off \u2014 even phone calls. If you try to call from outside, the phone won\u2019t ring inside, and you\u2019ll hear a meaningless recorded message on your end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nariman Gharib, an Iranian activist and independent cyber-espionage investigator who lives in the U.K., said that a small group of people are able to get online because they know how to use virtual private servers as proxies, or \u201cget lucky with their ADSL connections, since there are some disruptions in the network.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere aren\u2019t that many people able to get online,\u201d Gharib told TechCrunch. \u201cMy friends are tech-savvy, so they can bypass the restrictions, but generally, it\u2019s very difficult because we have a complete internet shutdown in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n