Hacktivist Group Breaches Into Iranian Financial Service App

An Iranian hacktivist group says it has successfully infiltrated the financial service application, Hafhashtad, sending out messages calling for an uprising against the regime.

On August 31, numerous users on the X social network, formerly recognized as Twitter, reported receiving text messages that included the phrase "Death to Khamenei" and invitations to public gatherings. These messages featured the Telegram address of the Black Reward group along with the hashtag #MahsaAmini.

Amini’s death in September last year in police custody, sparked a wave of protests across the country and as the anniversary approaches, many are expecting a renewed uprising.

After the hack, Black Reward posted on their Telegram channel saying, "As we all know, the flames of revolution may subside but will never be extinguished."

Hafhashtad, an Iranian financial service provider specializing in USSD code-based transactions and a mobile application, acknowledged a "disruption" in their messaging system but refrained from confirming any security breach.

Over recent years, Hafhashtad has conducted extensive advertising campaigns on Iranian government television channels and has provided financial support to various sports programs affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

The hacktivist group Black Reward gained reputation last year when they published a trove of documents related to Iran's nuclear program. Additionally, the group announced a successful intrusion into the email accounts of managers and staff members of Press TV, the government's international English news channel.