Iran-linked group reportedly hacked Los Angeles metro transit system in March

The group’s attack was part of a broader operation targeting organizations in the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

By JNS

The Israeli firm Gambit Security said on Tuesday that a group tied to the Iranian regime carried out a cyber attack against the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in March.

The Los Angeles Times reported in early April that a spokesman for the authority had confirmed the hack and said that it had “proactively limited employee access to many internal administrative computer systems after the agency’s security team discovered unauthorized activity.”

“Throughout this time, metro’s essential rail and bus service has continued to run uninterrupted, as have our vital transit safety and security systems,” the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman told the paper.

Gambit Security released a report, in which it stated that Ababil of Minab claimed responsibility and claimed to have data hacked from the authority’s systems.

The group’s attack was part of a broader operation targeting organizations in the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, per the Israeli firm.

“Our investigation found that Ababil of Minab is unlikely to be a new, standalone hacktivist crew as they claim,” Gambit Security stated.

“Forensic evidence ties the current operation to infrastructure and activity associated with a previous Iran-linked campaign, including activity publicly attributed by the Israel National Cyber Directorate to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security,” it said.