Iran reports 2nd cyberattack on port city, ministries also struck

Iran said another cyberattack struck its port in Bandar Abbas.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran is reporting on Wednesday another widespread cyberattack that struck Bandar Abbas, a port city on the southern coast of Iran that was the site of an earlier cyberattack on May 9. That attack was attributed to Israel.

The Wednesday attack also hit Iran’s Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and various communication systems, Israel’s Channel 12 reports.

The cyberattack closely resembles the one in May, which The Washington Post linked to Israel, saying it was in retaliation for an Iranian cyberattack on Israel’s water systems. Israeli authorities spotted that attack and prevented it from doing any damage.

“The attack… carried out by Israeli operatives, presumably in retaliation for an earlier attempt to penetrate computers that operate rural water distribution systems in Israel, according to intelligence and cybersecurity officials familiar with the matter,” the Post reported at the time.

Israel didn’t confirm or deny its responsibility for that attack, which was described as highly effective.

“A security official with a foreign government that monitored the May 9 incident called the attack “highly accurate” and said the damage to the Iranian port was more serious than described in official Iranian accounts,” the Post reported.

“‘There was total disarray,’ said the official, who spoke on the condition that his identity and national affiliation not be revealed, citing the highly sensitive nature of the intelligence.”

Iran hasn’t yet blamed Israel for the recent attack.