Israel hacked the popular Iranian prayer app 'BadeSaba,' which has over 5 million downloads on Google Play, and sent messages encouraging Iranian military personnel to defect.



It was revealed that on February 28, 2026, the day the United States and Israel launched a military attack on Iran , the BadeSaba Calendar (BadeSaba), a prayer app for Muslims widely used in Iran, had been hacked.

Israel Hacked Popular Iranian Prayer App to Urge Defections, Resistance
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-strikes-2026/card/israel-hacked-popular-iranian-prayer-app-to-urge-defections-resistance-wtYyb29CmKrTXoJBIV3C

'Patriots, keep protesting': Iranian prayer app with five million users hacked by Israel, says report | World News - The Times of India
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/patriots-keep-protesting-iranian-prayer-app-with-five-million-users-hacked-by-israel-says-report/articleshow/128921323.cms

BadeSaba is an app that notifies you of the adhan , the Islamic call to prayer. According to its Google Play distribution page, BadeSaba has been downloaded over 5 million times.

BadeSaba Calendar – Apps on Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobiliha.badesaba.play



It has been reported that BadeSaba sent a message to Iranian security forces on February 28, urging them to abandon their posts and join the Liberation Army. According to reports, this message appeared amid an intensifying military attack on Iran by the United States and Israel. Some media outlets have reported that the message on BadeSaba was the result of an Israeli hacking attack, but as of the time of writing, no official confirmation has been received. Furthermore, since the message urging members to join the Liberation Army appeared on BadeSaba, a nearly complete internet blackout occurred across Iran, making independent verification of this hacking activity difficult.

The message urging people to join the Liberation Army that appeared on BadeSaba has been shared by multiple users on social media.

'BadeSaba is not a niche app. It has a total of 37 million installs. It is a prayer calendar with adhan and is one of the most popular apps in Iran. Hijacking its push notifications is like hacking the BBC Weather app and broadcasting a message of war instead,' he said in a screenshot posted by one user.




Another user reported, 'According to Iranian reports, Israel hacked a prayer notification app. Users received messages such as 'Help is on the way,' which directly appealed to regime soldiers to lay down their arms.'




Experts pointed out the significance of the BadeSaba hack, saying, 'In Iran's tightly controlled media environment, even reaching a small portion of the user base is significant.' They also noted that it is unclear how many devices received the message, as the internet was shut down across Iran immediately after the hack. Several Israeli media outlets, citing anonymous security officials, reported that the hack was part of a broader Israeli campaign against the Iranian regime.

If attackers could gain access to the app's backend, they could instantly send push notifications to millions of smartphones. Israel has used similar tactics before, sending out fake alerts and warnings that appear to come from trusted domestic sources. The BadeSaba hack follows this pattern.

For Iranian civilians and soldiers, the sudden and unexpected notifications from trusted apps could be deeply unsettling, according to The Times of India. The media outlet reported, 'The prayer app hack is not just an isolated incident. It reflects a broader shift in modern conflicts: wars are fought not just with missiles and sanctions, but also with notifications, interfaces and moments of doubt delivered directly to personal devices.'

Iranian state media has condemned the hack.

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in Software,   Smartphone,   Security, Posted by logu_ii