One of Iran's biggest steel companies was recently forced to pause its production after being hit by a cyberattack, notifying one of the major assaults on the strategic industrial sector in recent history.

Khuzestan Steel Company, one of the crude steel producers in the Islamic Republic of IRAN, said that experts found out that the firm could not operate owing to some technical issues and will remain closed until further notice following the cyberattacks.

The company's website was also not working and was out of service.

As per credible sources, the attack did not cause any structural loss to the steel mill as the factory was not operating due to a power outage at the same time.

However, the firm did not blame any particular group for the assault which is the latest example of an attack targeting its services in recent weeks.

Previously Iran accused the United States and Israel of cyberattacks that have crippled and targeted the country's infrastructure.

Sources cite that Ahvaz-based Khuzestan Steel Company in southwestern Iran reportedly has a major share on Iran’s steel production, along with the two major state-owned firms.

The firm, established in 1979 before the Islamic Revolution, had production lines supplied by Italian, German and Japanese companies for decades.

While commenting on the move, a principal threat researcher at SentinelOne, Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, said that it is still not clear who can be behind the recent cyberattacks against Iran. however, this is an escalation if the same groups are responsible for the alleged attacks on the steel plants' industrial control system.

Importantly, Iran is the leading steel producer in the Middle East and one of the top 10 producers in the world, as per World Steel Association. Its iron ore mines supply raw materials for local production and is traded to countries like China and the UAE.

Source Credit - https://www.usnews.com/news/technology/articles/2022-06-27/cyberattack-forces-iran-steel-company-to-halt-production