Exile broadcaster Iran International affected by hacker attack

In the Islamic Republic, the exile broadcaster “Iran International” is considered a hostile medium. Now there are reports of a major data leak.

The exile broadcaster Iran International, based in London, has reportedly been the target of a hacker attack. State media of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which classifies the broadcaster as hostile, reported a major data leak. The identities of 71,000 informants who were in contact with the opposition broadcaster had been captured by a hacker group called “Handala”, the state broadcaster reported.

The hackers also allegedly published private photos and videos of a well-known journalist from Iran International on a Telegram channel. They accused the man of cooperating with the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad. The group announced that it would provide evidence of this. The authenticity of the data could not initially be verified. The broadcaster itself did not react for the time being and continued its operations.

In Iran, the group behind the exiled medium is classified as a terrorist organization. In the past, the state leadership had accused the broadcaster of wanting to spread negative news about the Islamic Republic on behalf of Saudi Arabia. The accusations of cooperation with Israel are new. Journalists from the exiled medium have been the target of intimidation and attempted attacks in the past.

dpa