Electronic banking in Tehran was disrupted on Saturday after a cyberattack on several state-owned banks temporarily stopped online payments and affected ATMs.
The Banking Coordination Council told Eghtesad News the outages were resolved and services returned to normal; the hacker group Black Wolves claimed responsibility on Telegram.
Similar cyber incidents were used as digital protest in 2022, including breaches of the central bank and Evin Prison surveillance systems.
Electronic banking services across Tehran were severely disrupted on Saturday after a cyberattack targeted several state-owned banks, temporarily halting online payments and affecting ATMs in the capital.
According to Eghtesad News, the country's Banking Coordination Council confirmed the incidents on Saturday evening but said the disruption has since been resolved and online transactions are operating normally again.
A hacker collective calling itself Black Wolves claimed responsibility on Telegram, posting: "A silent war is unfolding, and Iran is under cyberattack." Residents reported that card and mobile payments abruptly stopped working at supermarkets, restaurants and petrol stations, forcing some merchants to record sales manually for later settlement.
The outage reportedly affected four major state-owned banks and numerous ATMs across Tehran. Merchants and customers experienced delays and temporary reliance on cash or manual receipts while banks worked to restore services.
Cyberattacks have repeatedly been used in Iran as a form of digital protest and disruption. During the nationwide women's rights demonstrations in 2022, hackers targeted the central bank and breached surveillance systems at Evin Prison in Tehran, releasing footage that showed guards assaulting political detainees.
Authorities have not publicly attributed the attack to any foreign actor, and investigations by Iranian financial and security agencies were reported to be underway. The Banking Coordination Council's statement indicated normal transaction processing had resumed, though some users and businesses may still be completing delayed settlements.
Source: Eghtesad News; statements from the Banking Coordination Council; posts by the group known as Black Wolves on Telegram.
Help us improve.
