A cyber-attack against Iran's second-largest airline, Mahan Air has been thwarted, Iranian media reported on Sunday, adding that the airliner's flight schedule was not impacted by the cyber assault.
"Mahan Air's computer system has suffered a new attack. It has already been the target on several occasions due to its important position in the country's aviation industry. Our internet security team is thwarting the cyberattack," airline spokesman Amir-Hossein Zolanvari told state television.
According to the Daily Sabah, following the attack passengers could not access the airline’s website for hours displaying an error message saying the site couldn’t be reached. Additionally, many customers of Mahan Air across Iran received strange text messages from a group called Hoosyarane-Vatan, claiming to have carried out the attack.
“We believe the public deserves to know the truth behind this cooperation and the money wasted on IRGC activities abroad while Iranian people suffer at home,” the hacking group said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Being an Iranian airline, Mahan Air has often found itself in the middle of a political storm. The carrier has been under US sanctions since 2011 for allegedly providing support to the Quds Force and has been associated with alleged shipments of arms from Iran to Shiite groups in Syria, including the Hezbollah terror group. Alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria have been thought to target Mahan Air weapons shipments in the past.
“Mahan Air has transported IRGC-QF operatives, weapons, equipment, and funds abroad in support of the IRGC-QF’s regional operations, and has also moved weapons and personnel for Hezbollah,” US Treasury stated in 2019.
Iran, last month, accused Israel and the United States of a cyberattack on its gas stations that resulted in havoc at fuel pumps nationwide. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi blamed the hack on anti-Iranian forces seeking to sow disorder and disruption across the nation.
Days later, Israel's internet infrastructure was targeted by the Iranian Black Shadow hacking group, including against the largest Israeli LGBTQ dating site and an insurance firm. In July, the website of Iran's transport ministry was crippled by what state media said was a "cyber disruption" that caused delays in train services.