Cyber attackers hack into Iran's atomic energy agency as protests continue

As protests over the death of Mahsa Amini continue to escalate in Iran, the country's nuclear energy agency alleged that an email server of one of its subsidiaries was broken into by hackers

As protests over the death of Mahsa Amini continue to escalate in Iran, the country's nuclear energy agency on Sunday alleged that an email server of one of its subsidiaries was broken into hackers acting on behalf of a foreign country.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) confirmed the cyber attack on the email server of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant which is situated along the Persian Gulf from "a certain foreign country," reported Anadolu agency.

"It is worth noting that the content in (hacked) users' emails carried technical messages and common, daily exchanges," according to the energy agency officials.

Built using Russian technology in 2011, Bushehr is Iran's first nuclear power plant situated along the Persian Gulf.

Nationwide protests have gripped Iran for weeks following the death of Amini after she was taken into custody by the government's morality police for apparently not wearing her hijab properly. Her death in custody sparked violent clashes between demonstrators and authorities, reportedly leaving scores dead.

An Iranian hacking group called "Black Reward" posted on Twitter recently and announced that it hacked information related to Iran's nuclear activities at the Bushehr plant in support of ongoing protests in Iran over the death of Amini.

Besides leaking details of visas of Iranian and Russian nuclear experts working in the nuclear energy agency, the group stated that it leaked information included "management and operational schedules of different parts of Bushehr power plant, reported Anadolu Agency.

After the death of Amini on September 16, there have been widespread rallies and strikes throughout the country's Kurdish region.

Initial public expressions of anger at Amini's death and Iran's decades-old mandatory public headscarf policy for women quickly evolved into Iranian protesters calling for more freedoms and the death of Iran's Islamist rulers.