Iran Cyber-Police Warns About Vulnerability In Major Automation System

Iran's Cyber-Police (FATA) has warned about a “critical vulnerability” recently discovered in an office automation system used by important public, private and educational institutions in the country.

In a text message FATA police asked online businesses to “act with urgency” to disconnect the Chargoon software from the Internet.

However, no further official details have been released on how the vulnerability has been identified or how it can affect organizations using the automation system.

Publishing an image of the correspondence page of the Chargoon system, a hacktivist group called APT IRAN claimed it infiltrated the software.

The group had previously claimed to have infiltrated other organizations in Iran, including Irancell, one of the two top mobile operators in the country.

In addition to the FATA police, other government agencies have issued similar warnings about the Chargoon automation system.

Kharazmi University, one of Iran’s high-ranking academic institutions, announced that the Chargoon software will no longer be available to users outside the campus. The decision was made with regard to “certain security considerations” and “upstream instructions.”

Charoon lists as its official clients various government institutions, including Iran’s ministries of Sport and Youth, Culture and Islamic Guidance, Health, Roads and Urban Development, and Energy, as well as National Tax Administration and General Inspection Office.

Last month, Amin Sabeti, a cybersecurity specialist, told Iran International that the Iranian regime will continue facing increasing cyberattacks due to “structural defects” in their cyber defense systems.

On February 13, a cyberattack targeted over 600 Iranian government servers, including the Iranian parliament’s media arm. The attack claimed by the hacktivist group Uprising till Overthrow, closely linked with the Albania-based opposition Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK) organization.

Another cyberattack paralyzed gas stations in Iran in December. Tehran accused Israel of having a part in the operation.