TEHRAN \u2013 September 21 (ONLINE) Several Iranian government and state-affiliated media websites are down after a Twitter account linked to the \u201cAnonymous\u201d hacker collective claimed to have launched cyberattacks on them, aimed at supporting protests following the death of Mahsa Amini.<\/p>\n
The 22-year-old woman from the northwestern province of Kurdistan died in Tehran on Friday after suffering from a stroke and several heart attacks while in the custody of Iran\u2019s so-called morality police for her \u201cimproper\u201d hijab, according to authorities and state media.<\/p>\n
Iranian authorities have denied any allegations of mistreatment or beatings of Amini and said she had pre-existing conditions that contributed to her death, but her family has rejected the claims.<\/p>\n
A video released early on Wednesday showed footage of protests in several Iranian cities that have erupted since Amini\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was the last straw,\u201d the altered voice on the video, which claimed to be from Anonymous, said of Amini\u2019s death. \u201cThe Iranian people are not alone\u201d.<\/p>\n
It appears the two main websites of the Iranian government were the main target of the attacks.<\/p>\n
One is the \u201csmart services\u201d website of the government, where a host of online services is offered, and another is aimed at publishing government news and interviews with officials.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll database has been deleted,\u201d claimed a social media account believed to be affiliated with Anonymous. The Iranian government has yet to officially comment on the claims or the attacks.<\/p>\n
Several other websites, including the webpage of Iranian state television, were also attacked and were down for some time.<\/p>\n
The websites had gone down and been recovered several times on Wednesday morning, indicating a struggle between the hackers and website support.
\nAt least three people have been killed in the protests so far, according to Esmail Zarei Kousha, the governor of Kurdistan.<\/p>\n
The official, however, said the deaths have been \u201csuspicious\u201d and appear to be an attempt by \u201canti-revolutionary\u201d groups to fan the flames of unrest across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TEHRAN \u2013 September 21 (ONLINE) Several Iranian government and state-affiliated media websites are down after a Twitter account linked to the \u201cAnonymous\u201d hacker collective claimed to have launched cyberattacks on them, aimed at supporting protests following the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old woman from […]<\/p>\n
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