Hacktivist Groups Target Israeli Websites Amid Israel and Gaza Conflict
In the midst of the war between Israel and Gaza, hacktivist groups have announced that they are launching cyber attacks on Israeli targets online. These attacks involve disrupting and defacing websites, including prominent media outlet the Jerusalem Post.
The conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors has always attracted intense global interest, as well as politically motivated hackers known as hacktivists. These individuals exploit the ongoing fighting to either support their preferred side or gain attention for themselves.
According to cyber intelligence firm Recorded Future, both established and new hacktivist groups claim responsibility for dozens of attacks on a daily basis. While there haven’t been many reported incidents of serious or long-term damage so far, the actions of these hacktivists highlight how some supporters are taking the war into the digital arena.
One such incident involves a group called AnonGhost, which supports Hamas. They claim to have disrupted an Israeli emergency alert application, according to their social media channel. Another group called AnonymousSudan has stated on Telegram that they are actively targeting Israel’s critical infrastructure without providing concrete evidence.
Security analysts have reported that over 100 Israeli websites have been defaced or temporarily disrupted through distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. These attacks overload the websites with inauthentic traffic, rendering them inaccessible to legitimate users. Avi Mayer, the Editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, expressed their frustrations, stating that the attackers have successfully kept the website offline for extended periods. He characterized the attacks as a blatant assault on freedom of the press.
Israel’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has yet to comment on the situation.
Determining the accuracy of hacktivists’ claims can be challenging. Similar circumstances arose during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where pro-Ukraine hackers took credit for numerous attacks on Russian websites and online services.
While the focus has been on website disruptions and defacements, experts anticipate significant cyberespionage activities happening behind the scenes. A recent report by Microsoft uncovered increased cyber spying efforts by a Gaza-based hacker group named Storm-1133, targeting Israeli companies involved in telecommunications, defense, and energy. The report suggests that this group works in support of Hamas.
Israel cybersecurity firm Profero has also detected hacking activities linked to an Iranian spy group called Muddy Water and intrusion attempts potentially associated with Molerats, another group believed to be acting on behalf of Hamas. However, Molerats’ activities seemingly ceased after the onset of the bombing.
It is worth noting that the trustworthiness of these claims is often debatable.
As the conflict between Israel and Gaza continues, analysts predict that cyber attacks will continue to escalate, underscoring the increasing intersection between technology and national security.
Reporting by Christopher Bing and Raphael Satter in Washington; additional reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in San Francisco. Edited by Chris Sanders and Sonali Paul.