The hacktivist group Anonymous Sudan has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack targeting the infrastructure of Zain Bahrain, a telecommunications provider with nationwide coverage.
In an online announcement, the hacking group said it conducted a “big cyber attack on the infrastructure of internet in Bahrain” focused specifically on Zain Bahrain, the nation’s largest wireless carrier. Zain Bahrain claims to reach 100% of the Bahraini population through its network.
Anonymous Sudan listed multiple rationales behind this attack to disrupt the internet services in Bahrain:
- Bahrain’s staunch support of Israel amidst recent escalations in occupied territories
- Bahrain’s participation in a Western naval coalition opposing the Houthi in Yemen
- Alleged unjust blocking of border crossings to Sudanese nationals after fraud by an individual
Anonymous Sudan stated that they have launched their DDoS attacks against Zain Bahrain but did not provide details on the attack’s scope or impact. Though unverified, the hackers warned of damage to overall network availability and additional collateral effects.
Anonymous Sudan has indicated an even wider disruption to Bahrain’s connectivity infrastructure in the cyber campaign. According to another telegram post, the hacktivist group has also targeted Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) in addition to the initial attacks on Zain Bahrain’s networks.
Batelco serves as the country’s primary telecom provider operating fixed line, mobile and internet services. By claiming attacks on the two largest wireless carriers, Anonymous Sudan says it has “effectively cut off the internet in Bahrain” to press its political grievances related to Israel, Yemen and discrimination against Sudanese nationals. If the data disruption is confirmed, Bahrain may be dealing with significant internal network outages from Anonymous Sudan‘s cyber attacks.
Zain Bahrain tweeteded, that some of their customers may be experiencing difficulties using some of their services. They said that their technical team is working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. They apologized for any inconvenience and thanked their customers for their understanding and cooperation.
