Iran May Be Hacking Tank Readers at US Gas Stations: Report

Hackers linked to Iran may be responsible for a number of breaches of computer systems monitoring fuel at gas stations across the U.S., officials were reported to have told CNN on Friday.

The hackers had exploited unprotected automatic tank gauge (ATG) systems, the officials told the outlet, in what would be the latest instance of suspected Iranian efforts to target critical U.S. infrastructure, in this case, a resource which has been greatly impacted by the conflict between the two countries.

Officials said there had been no known damage to systems, but there was the potential for gas leaks to go undetected due to the hackers.

Newsweek reached out to the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for comment via email Friday afternoon.

Automatic Tank Gauge’s Hacked: What To Know

Officials briefed on the matter told CNN they suspected Iranian nationals were behind multiple breaches of the devices which are online but not password protected. Hackers were able, in some cases, to tamper with display readings.

No physical damage was known to have occurred and fuel levels were not altered by the hacking, the outlet reported.

Vulnerabilities with ATGs have been reported in the past.

In September 2024, Bitsight TRACE, a cyber risk intelligence platform, found multiple, critical vulnerabilities across different products from various manufacturers, with a report stating, “These vulnerabilities pose significant real-world risks, as they could be exploited by malicious actors to cause widespread damage, including physical damage, environmental hazards, and economic losses”.

In 2021, a Sky News report highlighted that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had singled out ATGs as potential targets for cyber-attacks on gas stations.

Iran’s History of Targeting US Infrastructure

Iran has a long and evolving history of targeting U.S. infrastructure, primarily through cyber operations that experts say are designed to exploit vulnerabilities in critical systems such as banking networks, water utilities, and industrial control systems.

U.S. officials and analysts broadly agree these activities are often carried out by groups linked to the IRGC, which uses cyber tools as a relatively low-cost, deniable way to project power against a more technologically advanced adversary.

Iranian-linked actors have repeatedly targeted sectors including energy, government, healthcare, and financial services, reflecting a strategy that blends disruption, espionage, and deterrence.

One of the earliest high-profile incidents came between 2011 and 2013, when Iranian hackers launched a sustained campaign of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against nearly 50 U.S. financial institutions, periodically knocking bank websites offline and costing tens of millions of dollars in remediation.

During the same period, an Iranian hacker infiltrated the control system of the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye Brook, New York, gaining access to sensitive operational data in what U.S. prosecutors later described as a troubling test case for potential attacks on physical infrastructure. While no damage was ultimately done, the breach underscored how relatively unsophisticated intrusions could still expose critical systems to foreign adversaries.

Analysts often trace Iran's more aggressive cyber posture to the discovery of the Stuxnet virus in 2010, a sophisticated cyberweapon widely attributed to the U.S. and Israel that damaged Iran's nuclear facilities. In the years since, Tehran has invested heavily in cyber capabilities, shifting from basic website defacements and data theft toward more advanced operations involving destructive malware and attempts to manipulate industrial control systems.

These tools are specifically designed to target the types of programmable logic controllers and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems that underpin modern infrastructure, raising concerns about potential real-world impacts.

More recently, U.S. agencies have warned Iran-linked cyber actors are actively probing and, in some cases, disrupting American infrastructure, including water systems, energy networks, and local government operations. A joint advisory last month said hackers had exploited industrial control devices to cause operational disruption and financial losses across multiple sectors, marking what officials described as an escalation in tactics.

Experts say the pattern reflects a broader Iranian doctrine: using cyber operations to signal capability and retaliate against geopolitical pressure, while stopping short of large-scale attacks that could trigger a direct military response.

What Happens Next

Investigations remained ongoing Friday, but officials told CNN that it may not be possible to fully determine whether Iran, or another country, was responsible for the hacking due to the lack of forensic evidence left behind.

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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 1:40 PM.