Cybersecurity
Sweden Uncovers Iran Hacked SMS Service to Send Messages on Koran Burnings
Counter-demonstrators at a public gathering where the organizers intend to burn a Koran, in Malmo, Sweden, on May 3.
Photographer: Johan Nilsson/TT/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Sweden said it uncovered an Iranian hacking operation to send text messages in a bid to deepen divisions in the Nordic country.
Swedish prosecutors concluded Iran was behind 15,000 text messages sent on Aug. 1, 2023, according to a statement on Tuesday. The messages sought to sway recipients to exact revenge on people burning Islam’s holy book after a number of such incidents in Sweden, according to the prosecutor. Part of the text read “those who insulted the Koran must pay,” according to numerous reports in local media.