Feb 20 – More than 30 million Iranians faced a second and more extensive disruption of Internet access Monday, just a week after email and social networking sites were blocked.
The latest Internet blockade affected the most common form of secure connections, including all encrypted international websites outside of Iran that depend on the Secure Sockets Layer protocol, which display addresses beginning with "https."
"Email, proxies and all the secure channels that start with 'https' are not available," said a Tehran-based technology expert who declined to be identified.
"The situation regarding accessing these websites is even worse than last week because the VPNs are not working."
Many Iranians use virtual private network, or VPN, software to get around the extensive government Internet filter which aims to prevent access to a wide range of websites including many foreign news sites and social networks like Facebook.
The Deputy Intelligence Minister at a seminar over Cyber Security and Defence on Saturday said the Internet is not a spy tool; it is the spy and the threat itself.
Ahangaran also said that amid sanctions Iran is facing difficulties to update its anti-virus softwares and is forced to create its own such programs./-
