Hackers believed to be linked to Iran may have breached computerized fuel monitoring systems used at gas stations across the United States, according to a CNN report cited by Newsweek.
CNN reported that the suspected cyberattacks targeted “automatic tank gauge” systems, or ATGs, which are used to monitor fuel levels and detect leaks in underground storage tanks at gas stations.
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U.S. officials told CNN that some of the systems had been connected to the internet without password protection, allowing intruders in certain cases to manipulate digital readings and alter system displays.
Officials told CNN that investigators found no evidence the hackers altered actual fuel supplies, though authorities warned that manipulated readings could conceal leaks or create broader safety risks for critical infrastructure.
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According to CNN, federal investigators suspect the intrusions were carried out by actors linked to Iran, though officials have not publicly attributed the activity to a specific Iranian government organization.
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The reported breaches add to longstanding U.S. concerns that Iran has developed one of the world’s most aggressive state-backed cyber programs, frequently targeting energy systems, industrial controls, financial institutions, and transportation infrastructure.
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In 2016, the United States Department of Justice announced charges against seven Iranian hackers tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for cyberattacks targeting dozens of American banks between 2011 and 2013.
Federal prosecutors also said the same group infiltrated the control system for the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye Brook, an incident officials described as one of the first known Iranian cyber intrusions into U.S. industrial infrastructure.
Dragos warned in 2019 that Iranian hacking groups were increasingly focusing on operational technology systems used by utilities, oil facilities, pipelines, and manufacturing plants.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have also issued repeated joint advisories warning that Iranian hackers routinely scan the internet for poorly secured industrial control devices.
Cybersecurity company Mandiant reported in 2022 that Iranian state-linked hacking groups were increasingly targeting U.S. critical infrastructure organizations through ransomware attacks, destructive malware, and credential theft operations.
The United States Department of the Treasury said in late 2023 that hackers affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted water utilities and other infrastructure operators using internet-connected industrial devices made by Unitronics.
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Federal agencies warned at the time that Iranian actors were exploiting default passwords and weak cybersecurity protections in operational technology systems.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has repeatedly cautioned that many fuel, water, and utility systems across the United States remain vulnerable because operators continue relying on legacy industrial equipment with outdated software and insufficient network protections.
Iranian-linked cyber operations have also repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure in the Middle East.
Cybersecurity researchers and Western officials blamed Iranian actors for the 2012 Shamoon cyberattack, which wiped data from roughly 30,000 computers at Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s largest energy companies.
Saudi officials later described the Shamoon incident as among the most destructive cyberattacks ever carried out against the global energy sector.
Iran has denied responsibility for many cyberattacks attributed to it by Western governments and cybersecurity researchers.
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The latest reported intrusions come amid heightened tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, with American officials warning that Tehran could increasingly rely on cyberattacks as an asymmetric response to military or economic pressure.
House Republicans, meanwhile, narrowly rejected a resolution on Thursday aimed at ending the war with Iran.
This marked the third time such a war powers resolution has failed in the House since the conflict began.
The final vote was tied at 212-212, with three Republicans—Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), and Tom Barrett (Mich.)—voting in favor of the measure.
One Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, broke ranks with party leaders to oppose it.
In the House, a tie vote means that the measure fails, so Democrats and their Republican allies will have to try again if they want to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to be commander-in-chief without interference from the Legislative Branch.
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