The conservative Iranian newspaper Kayhan has claimed that software developed in India and used in Iran contains backdoors that allow sensitive data to be transmitted to Israel in real time. The report alleges that these programs, widely used in both governmental and private sectors, compromise national security by leaking critical information such as national registries, passport data, and airport systems.
According to Kayhan, investigations revealed that Indian programmers connected through Elon Musk’s Starlink network have facilitated this alleged breach. The newspaper also reported that some software used in Iran’s military and civilian sectors may have compromised equipment functionality and allowed remote operations through hidden backdoors in the systems. Similar software is reportedly in use across Gulf countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, leading to concerns about regional surveillance.
The Kayhan report described this revelation as a “major crisis” for Gulf nations, alleging that Israel has leveraged these backdoors to monitor the movement of individuals in the region. Despite these claims, the Iranian publication noted that the Indian government has not issued any official response.
Kayhan is one of Iran’s oldest and most influential conservative newspapers, often reflecting the views of the country’s hardliners. It has a history of publishing controversial allegations and is considered closely aligned with the Iranian government.