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Title: Iran restricts internet access to ward off Israeli cyberattacks

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:00:25 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/iran-r...

People in Iran have been having difficulties accessing internet services,
mostly foreign websites and messaging apps like WhatsApp. According to The
New York Times and NBC News, it was the government's decision to restrict
internet in the country to ward off cyberattacks by Israel as the conflict
between the countries escalate. Fatemeh Mohajerani, Iran's spokesperson, said
the government was forced to throttle internet speeds in the country to
maintain network stability "given the enemy's cyber attacks." Iran reportedly
plans to reduce its internet bandwidth by 80 percent.

Kentinc and Netblocks, companies which track global internet connectivity,
told NBC News that Iran's connection plummeted at around 5:30PM Eastern time
on June 17. Iranians have been having issues accessing online services for
days, however, with their mobile data networks being completely down in parts
of the country and the VPNs they were using to access foreign websites being
blocked intermittently. In addition to blocking WhatsApp, the Iranian
government urged citizens to delete it from their smartphones, accusing it of
collecting information to send to Israel. WhatsApp told AP that it was
"concerned these false reports will be an excuse for [its] services to be
blocked at a time when people need them the most."

While Iran's spokesperson said that the government is blocking and slowing
down the country's internet connection as a way to prevent Israeli
cyberattacks, it's also making it harder for people to get warnings about
incoming attacks and to contact loved ones in cases of emergency. And since
maps like Google's also aren't working, people trying to evacuate are also
reportedly getting lost. Iran is urging its citizens to use its national
internet services or N.I.N., which remain available and allow messaging using
government platforms, but people don't think they're secure.

It's worth noting that Iran also seems to have launched its own cyber attacks
on Israel. As The Verge notes, cybersecurity firm Radware reported a surge in
cyberattacks on Israel since its strike on Iran. The firm believes they were
carried out by Iranian state actors and pro-Iran hacker groups. Iran had been
linked to several cyberattacks in the past, including an instance wherein
hackers associated with the country stole US voter information and sent
intimidating emails to Democrat voters.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/iran-r...
off-israeli-cyberattacks-120025170.html?src=rss

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