Following reports from users across Iran regarding widespread disruptions and a significant decrease in internet speed, NetBlocks has confirmed the occurrence of these disruptions. A digital rights observer suggested that “it appears the network was under a DDoS attack,” indicating that efforts by Iran Access to restore access have been made.
NetBlocks, a non-governmental organization monitoring the global internet, confirmed on Monday, April 8, an internet disruption in Iran, stating that “since early Monday morning, there has been a moderate disruption in internet connectivity in Iran affecting several networks.”
The non-governmental organization responsible for monitoring the internet worldwide announced that investigations into this incident are ongoing.
Moreover, the local economic newspaper, Donya-e-Eghtesad, reported that this disruption began around 10 a.m. local time on Monday, April 8, affecting various data centers such as Hamrah Avval, Afranet, Shatel, Pars Online, and Mobinnet.
According to the report, extensive internet disruptions and network instability, as well as the interruption of international internet connections, had occurred “in the early days of April” as well.
ℹ️ Confirmed: Metrics show a moderate disruption to internet connectivity in #Iran affecting multiple networks from early this morning; analysis of the incident is ongoing 📉 pic.twitter.com/zyLF3D4a12
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) April 8, 2024
The semi-official ISNA news agency also confirmed reports of “sluggish and intermittent internet” quoting users, but according to Amir-Mohammad Lajevardi, the head of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, “despite the increase in the level of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks over the past week, the country’s communication network remains stable,” and “one of the operators today experienced a traffic drop.”
ISNA also reported that the “Infrastructure Communications Company” claimed that “there are no disruptions in the country’s infrastructure network,” and the problem is likely “due to one of the telecommunications operators.”
Widespread internet disruptions in Iran have been reported multiple times during nationwide protests or to prevent their formation. In 2019, Iran experienced a week-long total shutdown of the internet, which was one of the regime’s efforts to suppress widespread protests.
More recently, amid ongoing protests following the death of Jhina (Mahsa) Amini in September 2022, Iranian authorities have again implemented pervasive internet censorship and shutdowns. This has included blocking social media apps, disrupting mobile networks, and restricting access to circumvention tools like VPNs.
The scale and duration of these latest internet outages have been significant, causing major economic losses estimated at over $770 million in 2022.
Experts note that the Iranian government appears to be employing increasingly sophisticated methods to prevent Iranians from communicating, sharing information, and coordinating protests online.