Pro-Israeli hackers hit Iran’s top crypto exchange after major bank cyberattack

A pro-Israeli hacker group known as "Gonjeshke Darandeh" — or "Predatory Sparrow" — has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, according to the Israeli news outlet Ynet News.

The group threatened to release all internal data from the exchange within 24 hours, accusing Nobitex of financing terrorism and evading international sanctions via digital currencies.

This latest attack follows a significant cyberstrike the group launched just one day earlier, on June 17, targeting Bank Sepah — one of Iran’s oldest financial institutions currently under U.S. sanctions. Gonjeshke Darandeh announced the operation on social media, declaring it had successfully destroyed the bank’s data.

In a post on X, the group stated: “Bank Sepah was an institution that circumvented international sanctions and used the people of Iran’s money to finance the regime’s terrorist proxies, its ballistic missile program, and its military nuclear program.”

The message continued: “This is what happens to institutions dedicated to maintaining the dictator’s terrorist fantasies. We thank the brave Iranians whose help made this operation possible.”

Gonjeshke Darandeh has become a prominent actor in the ongoing covert cyber conflict between Iran and Israel, having claimed responsibility for several high-profile attacks in recent years. These include strikes on Iranian gas stations, transportation infrastructure, and industrial sites such as steel plants, marking the group as a key player in this shadow war.

By Tamilla Hasanova