By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-09-05

ADEN -- Coordinated cyberattacks have paralyzed Houthi-controlled infrastructure, disrupting daily life for millions and exposing the Iran-backed militia's failure to secure critical infrastructure.

Since July, the hacker group "S4uD1Pwnz" has claimed breaches across major sectors, including repeated strikes on YemenNet and Yemen Mobile that triggered widespread outages in Sanaa and other provinces.

The group also said it infiltrated the Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation, which manages the ports of al-Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Isa.

According to the hackers, they accessed shipping data and employee records, altered databases and shut down platforms before publishing samples of stolen information online.

The group warned that more attacks would follow.

The threat has fueled fears of deeper disruptions to supply chains in Houthi-held areas, where most food, medicine and fuel arrive through those same ports.

Systemic vulnerabilities

Experts say the attacks laid bare critical flaws in the Houthis' digital defenses.

"The telecom companies run on outdated systems riddled with vulnerabilities, which makes them easy to hack even with primitive attacks," said Fahmi al-Baheth, former president of Yemen's Internet Society.

"Despite huge revenues, the Houthis have failed to secure the sector."

He cited unlicensed software, lack of intrusion detection and poorly trained staff as evidence of long-term institutional neglect.

Since 2014, Houthi control has isolated the sector from international partnerships.

As a result, operators depend on infrastructure more than a decade old and cannot meet global cybersecurity standards.

The fallout was immediate.

Banks reported delayed transactions, hospitals struggled to transmit medical data and businesses faced payroll backlogs as commerce stalled.

A cybersecurity official at a Yemeni public institution, who asked not to be named, said networks in Houthi-controlled territory are chronically under-protected.

Citizens have effectively become "the first line of defense," he told Al-Fassel.

He warned that the Houthis' failure to address the breaches reflects "dangerous unpreparedness" and undermines what little confidence remains in their ability to govern.

Online, Yemenis mocked the outages, describing Houthi-run networks as a "training ground for amateur hackers."

Exploitation over protection

The cyberattacks also highlight how the Houthis misuse civilian infrastructure for both money and control, according to experts who spoke with Al-Fassel.

By monopolizing YemenNet and other providers, the militia extracts billions of riyals in revenue each year while using the networks to surveil citizens and suppress dissent.

Instead of investing in cybersecurity, the experts said, telecom profits are funneled into the war effort, leaving essential civilian services vulnerable to further disruption.

"The Houthis exploit the sector for political and military gain," al-Baheth said. "But citizens are the ones paying the heaviest price."