Hacktivist Group Disrupts Iran’s State TV Broadcast with Anti-Regime Message
A hacktivist collective known as Adalat Ali (Ali’s Justice) hijacked the live web stream of Iran’s state-owned broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), on Tuesday, February 1, to air an anti-government message. The attack targeted Telewebion, IRIB’s online streaming platform, during a live broadcast of an Iran-UAE soccer match.
The group replaced the feed with a 50-second video calling on Iranians to stage nationwide protests against the Khamenei regime during the Fajr Decade—an 11-day period (February 1–11) commemorating the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The message, which urged citizens to turn the celebration into a wave of dissent, repeated intermittently for hours before Telewebion restored control. IRIB later acknowledged the breach in a tweet.
This incident marks the second disruption of IRIB broadcasts in a week. On January 27, unidentified hackers briefly hijacked the main IRIB TV channel, displaying images of Maryam and Masoud Rajavi—leaders of the opposition Mujahideen Khalq Organisation (MKO)—alongside the slogan, "Salute to Rajavi, death to Khamenei!" The intrusion lasted only 10 seconds.
Adalat Ali has previously targeted Iranian state institutions, including a 2021 breach of Evin Prison’s CCTV system, where they leaked footage exposing prisoner abuse. The group’s latest attack underscores ongoing cyber-driven dissent against Iran’s government.
Source: https://therecord.media/irans-national-tv-stream-hacked-for-the-second-time-in-a-week
Telewebion cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/telewebion
IRIB cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/irib
"id": "TELIRI1767930667",
"linkid": "telewebion, irib",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "2/2022",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': "Viewers of Telewebion's web "
'stream',
'industry': 'Broadcasting, Media',
'location': 'Iran',
'name': 'Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)',
'type': 'State-Owned Media Organization'}],
'attack_vector': 'Web Stream Exploitation',
'date_detected': '2022-02-01',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2022-02-01',
'description': "A hacktivist group known as Adalat Ali (Ali's Justice) "
"hijacked the web stream of Iran's state-owned television "
'station, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), to '
'broadcast an anti-regime message during a live soccer match. '
'The group aired a 50-second video urging Iranians to protest '
'against the Khamenei regime during the Fajr Decade '
'celebrations.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': "Negative impact on IRIB's credibility "
'and state-controlled media',
'downtime': 'Hours',
'operational_impact': 'Disruption of live broadcast',
'systems_affected': "Telewebion (IRIB's web-based TV and radio "
'streaming platform)'},
'motivation': 'Political Protest, Anti-Regime Messaging',
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2022-02-01',
'source': 'RadioFarda (Twitter)',
'url': 'https://twitter.com/RadioFarda_/status/1488456789012345856'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Acknowledged the incident via tweet',
'containment_measures': 'Regained control over the platform'},
'threat_actor': 'Adalat Ali (Hacktivist Group)',
'title': "Hijacking of IRIB's Telewebion Web Stream by Adalat Ali Hacktivist "
'Group',
'type': 'Stream Hijacking'}