Iranian Firm Pays $3 Million to Dissuade Hackers from Disclosing Bank Account Details

A recent report by American newspaper Politico, citing sources familiar with the matter, reveals that an Iranian firm paid a substantial sum of at least $3 million to prevent hackers from exposing sensitive bank account details of customers from over 20 hacked banks in Iran.

This development comes on the heels of last month’s reports that Iran International had successfully breached the main systems of the Central Bank of Iran and several other banks, resulting in the theft of sensitive data.

According to Politico, the hacking attack posed a significant threat to the stability of Iran’s banking system, with officials describing it as the “worst cyber attack” in the Islamic Republic’s history.

Politico quoted officials as saying that the IR Leaks group, notorious for its history of hacking Iranian companies, may be responsible for the cyber attack.

The IR Leaks Group allegedly gained access to bank servers through Tosen, a company that provides data and digital services to Iran’s financial sector.

The list of compromised banks includes Sanat and Ma’din, Mehr, Post Bank, Iran Zamin, Capital, Joint Bank of Iran and Venezuela, The Vashahr, Iqtisad Novin, and Saman.

On August 14, Iran International obtained information indicating that the main systems of the Central Bank of Iran and several other banks had been hacked, disrupting the banking system. Initial assessments suggest that the hack is one of the largest attacks against Iran’s government systems.

Despite these concerns, Iranians continue to rely on banks for their daily transactions, with many opting for digital payments due to an inflation rate of around 40%.