Hackers Cripple Over 60 Iranian Oil Tankers in Massive Cyberattack

A shadowy hacker crew has thrown Iran’s maritime industry into disarray, claiming they crippled communications for over 60 oil tankers and cargo ships in a jaw-dropping cyberattack targeting the heart of the Islamic Republic’s oil export machine.

The group, calling itself Lab Dookhtegan or Sealed Lips in Farsi, bragged they shut down the critical Falcon control software, cutting off all contact between the vessels and their ports. The attack killed the ships’ tracking systems, leaving the fleet stranded in a digital blackout, unable to coordinate or navigate.

Lab Dookhtegan said they targeted 39 tankers and 25 cargo ships owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. They claimed to have hacked the Linux-based systems running the ships’ satellite terminals through Fanava Group, an Iranian IT firm handling maritime communications. “We crushed Falcon,” the group gloated, leaving crews stranded and ports clueless about their whereabouts.

The attack has thrown Iran’s maritime operations into chaos, already battered by sanctions from the US, UK, and EU for dodging international rules and allegedly arming groups like Yemen’s Houthis. The National Iranian Tanker Company, with a fleet hauling 11 million tons of crude yearly, and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, a global shipping heavyweight with 115 vessels, are linchpins of Iran’s sanctioned economy.

Cybersecurity pros say the attacks scale, hitting over 60 ships at once, screams careful planning and high-tech automation. “This wasn’t some amateur hack,” one analyst said. “They likely used weak passwords or outdated systems to slip in malicious code.” The coordinated strike suggests months of scouting Iran’s maritime tech setup, possibly with a nod from “friends who hate our enemies,” as Lab Dookhtegan hinted.

The damage is staggering. Iran’s oil exports, often smuggled to buyers like China, face costly delays as ships stay offline. Maritime safety is also at risk, with vessels unable to talk to military escorts or navigate properly. “These ships are helpless without comms,” one expert said. Insurance costs for Iranian shipping could spike as dangers pile up.

Lab Dookhtegan, notorious for leaking Iran’s cyber-espionage secrets in 2019, timed the attack to overlap with US military moves against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, adding a geopolitical jab. Social media lit up with chatter, some users cheering the hackers as “heroes” for hitting Iran’s regime, while others warned of a cyberwar spiral. “This is Stuxnet-level mayhem,” one post declared, nodding to the 2010 virus that rocked Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran’s officials and the targeted companies stayed silent, leaving the hackers’ claims unconfirmed but believable given their past stunts. Lab Dookhtegan teased this is just the “start,” hinting at more havoc. For now, Iran’s fleet is limping, and the maritime world is bracing for what’s next in this high-stakes cyber brawl.

Sources: Iran International, Cydome, X posts, US Treasury Department sanctions reports, August 2025.