pro-Iran hackers – A pro-Iran hacker group claimed responsibility for a Tuesday DDoS attack that disrupted Spotify. The same report describes Monday threatening WhatsApp messages sent from seemingly legitimate business accounts in Israel, with the National Cyber Directorate exam
Spotify users woke up to silence on Wednesday—slow loading, broken access, and the kind of glitch that quickly turns into frustration when it hits a music app people rely on daily.
The disruption followed a Tuesday DDoS cyberattack that a pro-Iran hacker group said it carried out. The group, Islamic Cyber Resistance in Iraq-313 Team, claimed it breached Spotify and described the incident as “revenge” connected to the killing of Imam Khamenei.
The McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security reported the attack. and it also said users experienced problems accessing Spotify on Wednesday. citing Downdetector.. Spotify’s support account directed people to a post on the company’s website. stating: “We’ve received some reports mentioning that the app. support site. and the Web Player are slow or not working properly.. This is being investigated.”
On Telegram. the same hacker group wrote that it “carried out a massive cyber attack targeting Spotify’s main servers. causing a major disruption to the website and completely disabling the application. ” according to the McCrary Institute report.. It added: “the hand of revenge will reach the killers of Imam Khamenei.”
For Israelis, the digital pressure wasn’t limited to music.
On Monday, people across Israel received threatening WhatsApp text messages.. The messages were sent from business accounts that appeared legitimate—such as accounts for a cake shop or other establishments.. But the businesses weren’t the ones messaging residents.. Hackers had taken control of existing accounts or created fake ones.
The National Cyber Directorate was briefed on the details and is examining the source of the messages.. The pattern of activity. the report says. aligns with the Iranian hacker group Handala. which typically combines cyberattacks with psychological warfare—targeting citizens to undermine their sense of personal security.
The messages were written in English and included direct political and military references.. They read: “Netanyahu. leader of the Epstein cult. is trying to maintain his position of authority by committing another act of reckless foolishness.. This is a warning to you. the Jewish residents of the occupied territories: Prepare for a barrage of Sayyid Majid missiles if you do not put an end to this foolishness.. You will soon be spending weeks in your shelters, so stock up now.. Hack Handala.”
Taken together. the Spotify disruption and the WhatsApp threats show the same playbook: use disruption and fear to turn everyday digital spaces into a message delivery system.. One targets an app’s availability.. The other targets people’s sense of safety—through accounts that look normal until they start speaking in threats.
Spotify DDoS Islamic Cyber Resistance in Iraq-313 Team Telegram Khamenei revenge WhatsApp threats Handala National Cyber Directorate cyberattack psychological warfare