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Iran is facing a severe internet blackout impacting its population of over 90 million as the country’s conflict with the U.S. and Israel continues.
The country has now spent over 48 hours in a near-total internet blackout, according to data from independent internet watchdog NetBlocks posted at 2:35 a.m. ET on Monday, which showed connectivity at around 1% of ordinary levels.
NetBlocks has attributed the blackout to a “regime-imposed” nationwide internet shutdown, though the country’s government has not commented.
“Shutdowns are a go-to tactic for the regime, with the previous instance in January lasting several weeks and masking severe human rights violations,” NetBlocks said.
January’s blackout came amid widespread protests in the country. The Iranian government has a history of initiating Internet shutdowns during civil unrest and conflict.
Internet analyst Doug Madory said in a post on X that the small amounts of internet activity could be due to the government’s new system of whitelisting, which creates exceptions for groups loyal to the government.
U.S.-Israeli cyberattacks
However, reports also suggest that U.S. and Israeli actors have carried out cyberattacks on Iranian internet infrastructure along with airstrikes.
For a report from Reuters, U.S.-Israeli actors have targeted multiple government-aligned Iranian news websites with hacks and cyberattacks.
The report added that BadeSaba Calendar, a popular religious calendar app with over 5 million downloads, had also been compromised, displaying alerts urging the armed forces to “give up weapons and join the people” and declaring “It’s time for reckoning.”
U.S. Cyber Command did not respond to requests for comment. CNBC was unable to reach the owners of BadeSaba for comment.
In January, Iranian state television was reportedly hacked, briefly showing speeches by U.S. President Donald Trump and the exiled son of Iran’s last shah calling on the public to revolt.
Cyber retaliation?
As Iran retaliates with its own strikes and drone attacks against U.S. and allied targets in the Middle East, Iranian-aligned groups may also resort to cyber attacks, some analysts warn.
In a statement shared with CNBC, Adam Meyers, head of counter adversary operations at CrowdStrike, said the firm was “already seeing activity consistent with Iranian-aligned threat actors and hacktivist groups conducting reconnaissance and initiating [denial-of-service] attacks.”
“These behaviors often precede more aggressive operations,” Meyers said.
“In past conflicts, Tehran’s cyber actors have aligned their activity with broader strategic objectives that increase pressure and visibility at targets, including energy, critical infrastructure, finance, telecommunications, and healthcare.”