A wave of cyber-enabled operations took place early Saturday morning alongside the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on targets across Iran, according to cybersecurity experts and observers.
The operations included the hacking of multiple news websites to display various messages and the hack of BadeSaba, a religious calendar app with more than 5 million downloads, which displayed messages telling users “It’s time for reckoning” and urging armed forces to give up weapons and join the people.
Reuters could not establish contact with BadeSaba’s chief executive.
A spokesperson for U.S. Cyber Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Internet connectivity in Iran dropped precipitously at 0706 GMT, and then again at 1147 GMT, with only minimal connectivity remaining, Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik, said in a post on X.
The cyberattack on BadeSaba was a smart move because government supporters use it and they tend to be more religious, said Hamid Kashfi, a security researcher and founder of cybersecurity firm DarkCell.
Cyber operations also struck a variety of Iranian government services and military targets to limit a coordinated Iranian response, the Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the claims.
