On Saturday, Iran marked the 44th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution with state-organized rallies. President Ebrahim Raisi, whose hardline government is facing a bold challenge from young protesters, addressed the crowd at Tehran’s Azadi Square. In his speech, he appealed to the “deceived youth” to repent in order to be pardoned by Iran’s Supreme Leader. He promised that the Iranian people would “embrace them with open arms” if they do.
However, Raisi’s televised speech was briefly interrupted by a group of anti-government hackers known as “Edalate Ali (Justice of Ali).” A logo of the group appeared on the screen and a voice shouted “Death to the Islamic Republic.” This incident occurred in the aftermath of nationwide protests that swept Iran following the death of a former military commander in September.
2023-02-12 00:49:53
Article from www.cnn.com
On the 42nd anniversary of the Iranian revolution, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was disrupted during a live television address when hackers reportedly intruded upon the broadcast.
The president was in the midst of commemorating the occasion when individuals started screaming in the background and then the broadcast abruptly ceased. The state broadcaster struggled to regain control of their systems for several minutes before eventually being able to regain control.
This was not the first time that hackers had disrupted a presidential broadcast on Iranian television. In the past, hackers have been responsible for shutting down or altering official state media broadcasts, most notably targeting the official state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting network.
The president was not deterred however, and immediately returned to the address before again being disrupted. The president then left the studio, with the state broadcaster continuing his address from the viewpoint of a nearby army parade.
No one has yet taken responsibility for the intrusion and the Iranian government has not identified a potential source of the attack.
The incident highlights the role of hackers in the Middle East particularly in the politically-charged atmosphere of the region. It is likely that the incident was perpetrated either by foreign governments or by a dissident group looking to cause disruption.
Hacking has been a recurrent issue for the Iranian government with attacks in the past being linked to both the US and Israel. With increased tensions in the region it is more important than ever that systems have the necessary security and protection in place.