Cyber Incident Victim: Iranian state TV
Date:
Jan 2026
Location:
Iran
Summary
Anti-regime activists compromised Iran's Badr satellite, gaining unauthorized access to state television channels and broadcasting a video featuring exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi urging Iranians to protest against the government. The clip included Persian-language messages encouraging continued demonstrations, footage of solidarity protests worldwide, statements of support from international leaders, and a direct appeal from Pahlavi for the country's military and security forces to join the demonstrators, with the transmission lasting approximately ten minutes.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On Sunday, anti‑regime activists gained unauthorized access to Iran’s Badr satellite, which allowed them to hijack the feed of state television channels. Using the compromised satellite link, the activists broadcast a video that featured exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi delivering statements aimed at encouraging protests inside Iran. The video included messages in Farsi urging citizens to continue their demonstration activities, interspersed with footage of solidarity protests that had taken place in various countries. Additionally, the broadcast showed statements of support from several international leaders who had voiced backing for the protest movement. After these introductory segments, the video transitioned to a direct statement from Pahlavi in which he called for further protests against the Islamic Republic. Iran International later reported that Pahlavi’s remarks also contained an explicit appeal for members of Iran’s military and security forces to align themselves with the protesters.
The hijacked transmission was observed by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN News, which noted that the broadcast began at approximately 9:30 p.m. local time. KAN News further reported that the illicit broadcast persisted for roughly ten minutes before the signal was restored to regular programming. The incident was subsequently covered by anti‑regime media outlets and by Iran International, which highlighted the content of Pahlavi’s call for military defections. No official statement from Iranian authorities regarding the satellite intrusion or the broadcast interruption was included in the available sources. The event demonstrated the ability of activist groups to exploit satellite infrastructure to disseminate opposition messaging directly into Iran’s state‑controlled media environment.