- Iran blames the US for a networking shutdown
- Blame has been placed on pre-installed backdoors in US tech
- Iran remains reliant on importing foreign tech
Iranian media has accused US tech companies and the US government of working together to install secret backdoors in networking infrastructure.
The claim comes after Iran reported coordinated shutdowns and outages across its networking hardware despite the government disconnecting the country from the internet.
If true, the backdoor would have to be activated remotely using some other medium, which Iran has suggested could involve a satellite network.
Widespread network shutdown
Iran’s claims, shared by the Iranian Fars News Agency, allege that hardware made by firms such as Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, and MikroTik were subject to unexplained coordinated shutdowns and reboots, with the implication that the companies have installed secret backdoors on behalf of the US government.
This isn’t the first time such an accusation has been made. China has previously accused the US government of installing backdoors in chips and other tech likely to be imported into China. China has also previously accused the US government of plots involving pre-installed malware, and being behind multiple attacks launched by Volt Typhoon.
Iran's claims, though unsubstantiated, mirror those of China, with Chinese state media also widely sharing Iran’s theories. Iran has also suggested that some devices may have been involved in a botnet that led to the widespread outages.
Verifying such claims is difficult as Iran has maintained a near-total internet blackout since the outbreak of the conflict in late February. Internet access has been highly selective, with some outage trackers suggesting that the Iranian government only issues internet access to government officials and groups favorable to the regime.
Via The Register
