Nobitex Hack: Israeli Hacker Group “Gonjeshke Darande” Targets Iranian Crypto Exchange with $48.65M Bitcoin Theft

COINOTAG reported on June 18 that the Iranian cryptocurrency exchange Nobitex suffered a significant security breach, with losses estimated at $48.65 million. According to OnchainLens, the cyberattack was allegedly executed by the Israeli hacker collective known as “Gonjeshke Darande”. This group has publicly claimed responsibility and warned of imminent publication of Nobitex’s source code and internal network data, which could further jeopardize assets held on the platform.

The name “Gonjeshke Darande”, meaning “Predatory Sparrow” in Persian, is associated with a series of sophisticated cyber operations targeting critical Iranian infrastructure, including sectors like energy, steel manufacturing, and banking institutions such as Bank Sepah. While the group asserts its independence, the complexity and strategic nature of these attacks imply possible connections to Israeli intelligence entities, notably Unit 8200. The Israeli government continues to uphold a stance of deliberate ambiguity regarding any formal affiliation with this hacking collective.