Over 100 Iranian state-owned and private websites were targeted by a cyberattack and their systems’ data were stolen, the government confirmed on Sunday.

Claiming responsibility for the attack, the hacking group "Uprising till Overthrow" sent pictures and videos to Iran International showing that about 50 domains of the Agriculture Ministry and its affiliated offices have been hacked.

A deputy director for the security of Iran’s information center, Meysam Maghsoudi Goudarzi, said late on Sunday that a security loophole in a software frequently used by governmental organizations made the large-scale cyberattack possible.

He said that the attack was “neutralized” in its early stages, noting that “The hackers obtained information from the websites but did not obtain the basic information of these government centers”.

Maghsoudi Goudarzi also claimed that no damage was done to the infrastructures of the organizations, adding that “This cyberattack was designed like a 'time bomb’ to attack more than 100 [online] services of the country at a certain time and date to disrupt their activities”.

He said the IPs used for the cyberattack belonged to the Netherlands, Britain and the United States, and that due legal action will be taken in the future.

In mid-March, the portal of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (Ershad) and its affiliated websites were hit by a cyberattack.

Hackers posted on the website photos of leaders of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) opposition group, Maryam and Masoud Rajavi, as well as a photo of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with a large red X, drawn on his face.