Reports: Suspected Iranian Hackers Target US Gas Station Fuel Systems

Hackers believed to be linked to Iran may have breached computerized fuel monitoring systems used at gas stations across the United States, according to a CNN report published Friday and cited by Newsweek.

CNN reported the suspected attacks involved "automatic tank gauge" systems, known as ATGs, which monitor fuel levels and leak detection in underground gas station tanks.

U.S. officials told CNN some of the systems were exposed online without password protection, allowing intruders in some cases to manipulate digital readings and system displays.

Officials told CNN investigators found no evidence the hackers altered actual fuel supplies, but warned manipulated readings could hide leaks or create broader infrastructure safety risks.

CNN reported federal investigators suspect Iranian-linked actors were behind the intrusions, though officials had not publicly attributed the activity to a specific Iranian government entity.

The reported breaches add to years of U.S. warnings that Iran has built one of the world’s most aggressive state-backed cyber programs, frequently targeting energy infrastructure, industrial control systems, financial institutions, and transportation networks.

The U.S. Justice Department announced in 2016 that seven Iranian hackers tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were charged over cyberattacks targeting dozens of American banks between 2011 and 2013.

Federal prosecutors said the same group also infiltrated the Bowman Avenue Dam control system in Rye Brook, New York, in what officials described as one of the first known Iranian intrusions into U.S. industrial infrastructure.

 Cybersecurity firm Dragos warned in 2019 that Iranian hacking groups had increasingly focused on operational technology systems used in utilities, oil facilities, pipelines, and manufacturing plants.

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued joint advisories in multiple years warning that Iranian hackers routinely scan for poorly secured industrial control devices connected directly to the internet.

Cybersecurity firm Mandiant reported in 2022 that Iranian state-linked hacking groups increasingly targeted U.S. critical infrastructure organizations using ransomware, destructive malware, and credential theft campaigns.

The Treasury Department said in late 2023 that hackers affiliated with the IRGC targeted water utilities and other infrastructure operators using internet-connected industrial devices manufactured by Unitronics.

Federal agencies warned at the time that Iranian actors were exploiting default passwords and weak cybersecurity protections in operational technology systems.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has repeatedly warned that many fuel, water, and utility systems across the United States remain vulnerable because operators continue using legacy industrial equipment with outdated software and inadequate network protections.

Iranian-linked cyber operations have also repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure in the Middle East.

Cybersecurity researchers and Western officials blamed Iranian actors for the 2012 Shamoon malware attack that wiped data from roughly 30,000 computers at Saudi Aramco, one of the largest oil companies in the world.

Saudi officials later described the Shamoon attack as one of the most destructive cyberattacks ever carried out against the global energy sector.

Iran has denied involvement in many cyberattacks attributed to it by Western governments and cybersecurity researchers.

The latest reported intrusions come amid heightened tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States, with American officials repeatedly warning Tehran could use cyberattacks as an asymmetric response to military or economic pressure.

© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.