Science and Technology

VOA -Albania has suffered a renewed cyberattack, the country’s interior ministry said Saturday, blaming Iran which Tirana also accused of an earlier assault on its digital systems. “The national police’s computer systems were hit Friday by a cyberattack which, according to initial information, was committed by the same actors who in July attacked the country’s public and government service systems,” …

Al-Arabia – A member in the Albanian parliament, Taulant Balla, confirmed to Al Arabiya on Wednesday that his government has evidence of Iran’s involvement in the cyberattack against his country, stressing that the Albanian security services have identified the Iranian groups responsible. Balla said: “This decision comes after a very severe cyberattack that Albania suffered on July 15. It was …

Al-Arabia – Albania is ending diplomatic relations with Iran and has ordered Iranian diplomats and embassy staff to leave within 24 hours, after an investigation into a cyberattack in July, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Wednesday. “The government has decided with immediate effect to end diplomatic relations with Islamic Republic of Iran,” Rama said in a video statement sent …

Iranwire – For several days last week, Instagram users based in Iran reported difficulty in accessing the popular platform: one of very few major social networks not officially blocked by the regime. But all of a sudden, Instagram was temporarily unreachable via home internet services – but not via mobile – in Tehran, and fully down in other Iranian cities. …

RFL/RE – Iranian authorities have announced the seizure of 9,404 illegal cryptocurrency mining devices in Tehran since the end of March. Kambiz Nazerian, head of Tehran Electricity Distribution Company, said on August 22 that the mining devices were discovered by inspectors in different districts of the Iranian capital.SEE ALSO:Cryptocurrencies Are No Digital Cure-All For Iran, Russia, Other Sanctioned States In recent years, …

RFL/RE – Iranian authorities have blocked cell phone users from receiving two-step verification codes on their devices in a move to further restrict access to social media and to filter access to information. Several social media users reported on August 17 that text messages containing login codes for the applications for Telegram, Twitter, and WhatsApp were filtered by cell phone operators in …

RFL/RE – The head of Iran’s atomic energy organization, Mohammad Eslami, said on August 1 that the Islamic republic has the technical capability to produce a nuclear bomb but has no intention of doing so, according to the semiofficial Fars news agency. Eslami reiterated comments made last month by Kamal Kharrazi, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Iran …

voanews – Iran’s nuclear program is “galloping ahead” and the International Atomic Energy Agency has very limited visibility into what is happening, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told Spain’s El Pais newspaper in an interview published Friday. In June, Iran began removing essentially all of the agency’s monitoring equipment, which had been installed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. …

alarabiya – The top US Air Force general in the Middle East warned on Thursday that Iran-backed militias could resume attacks in the region against the US and its allies as tensions rise — assaults that could lead to a new Mideast escalation. Speaking to journalists before stepping into his new role at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, with responsibility …

rferl.org – A senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the country is capable of making a nuclear weapon but a decision whether to do so has not yet been made. Kamal Kharrazi’s comments to Al-Jazeera TV on July 17 came after U.S. President Joe Biden vowed on a trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia that Washington …