A hacking group named Gonjeshke Darande, or “Predatory Sparrow” in Farsi, recently took credit for a successful cyberattack. Their aim was directed at Nobitex, Iran’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange. The group obnoxiously and braggingly asserted that it hacked $90 million+. They funneled most of the money to addresses that included language calling for an end to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Gonjeshke Darande alleged that Nobitex assisted the Iranian government in evading Western sanctions imposed over its nuclear program. They claimed that the exchange diverted funds to militants.
Tensions between Israel and Iran continue to rise on a daily basis. This come after Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and military officials reported last week saw Iran threatening retaliation through missile barrages. The development has once again sparked fears that Iran is leveraging cryptocurrencies to evade international sanctions. U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Angus King first brought this infuriating problem to our attention.
Claims of Responsibility and Motivation
Addressing accusations against Nobitex Gonjeshke Darande has reported that Nobitex is accused of facilitating the Iranian government’s evasion of Western sanctions. Moreover, the company is accused of funneling money to terrorist organizations. After the attack, the collective released Nobitex’s entire source code.
ASSETS LEFT IN NOBITEX ARE NOW ENTIRELY OUT IN THE OPEN - Gonjeshke Darande
The group took credit for deleting data from a cyberattack on Iran’s state-owned Bank Sepah.
Alleged Ties to Israel
In recent months, Israeli press outlets have wondered how Gonjeshke Darande might be connected to Israel. The Israeli government has yet to publicly acknowledge any connection to the group. Gonjeshke Darande has a history of stridently opposing Iranian infrastructure. In 2021, the group took credit for a cyberattack that shut down fuel pumps at gas stations nationwide in Iran. Most notably, in 2022, the organization took credit for a critical infrastructure disrupting cyberattack. This attack resulted in a devastating blaze at an Iranian steel factory.
Impact and Implications
The aftermath of the Nobitex hack has raised a lot of eyebrows about the general security of Iranian cryptocurrency exchanges. At the same time, it emphasizes the danger of these platforms being abused for nefarious pursuits. The resulting theft of $90 million was a serious blow to the exchange. On top of that, leaking Nobitex’s source code has compromised its users’ safety. The incident serves as yet another example of the rapidly growing Israeli-Iranian cyber warfare. It shows the dangerous potential of these conflicts leaking into the financial sector themselves.
