Who is Gonjeshke Darande? Hackers Behind Iran’s $90M Nobitex Crypto Hack

The Israel-Iran conflict intensified and has moved in all directions, not only on the battlefield, as the Gonjeshke Darande hacked Iran’s biggest crypto exchange. This group of hackers has taken credit for the $90M hack. They are not simple hackers but are allegedly connected to Israeli intelligence. Notably, this is not the first time they have done this to Iran, but to their crypto infrastructure, it’s new.

Who is Gonjeshke Darande?

Gonjeshke Darande is a name taken from the Farsi language and stands for Predatory Sparrows. It is a group of hackers, sophisticatedly known for their politically driven actions. It is allegedly believed to be connected with Israeli intelligence. However, this is an allegation, and Israel has not confirmed any association.

The group is known for targeting Iranian infrastructure, including their petrol pumps, steel industry, government system, financial institutions, and others. However, they claim to carefully place these hacks and not impact innocent lives.

These hackers are quite active on social media platforms, carrying nearly 10,000 followers on two X accounts. They actively inform users on their activities, motives, and what’s coming next.

 On June 18, they targeted Iran’s biggest crypto exchange, Nobitex, and succeeded with a more than $90M hack amid Israel-Iran conflict. Before this, they also attacked Iran’s largest state-owned banks in May.

Why Gonjeshke Darande Hack the Nobitex Exchange?

According to the group’s official X post, “Nobitex exchange is at the heart of the regime’s efforts to finance terror worldwide.” The hackers claim that the exchange does not even pretend to abide by the sanctions and finances terrorism.

As a result, they hacked the crypto platforms and burned the hacked BTC, ETH, and other cryptos, signaling that the intention is political rather than economic. The last update on the Nobitex crypto hack included revealing the source code of the exchange and other sensitive information.

However, experts believe that it may be just a start, and further cyberattacks may affect Iran’s crypto infrastructure.