As the violent conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to claim lives, cyberspace has become an additional frontline for confrontation. Pro-Palestinian hacker groups have unleashed a series of cyberattacks targeting Israeli digital infrastructure and government websites.
On Wednesday evening, hackers breached the IDF spokesperson’s website, defacing the homepage with threatening messages condemning Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The hackers, identifying themselves as “Anonymous Jo” from Jordan, accused Israel of “arrogance and injustice” as well as “barbarism and the killing of our vulnerable people in Gaza.” They vowed that this was only the beginning of retaliatory cyber warfare against Israel.
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT and jpost.com)
This latest attack comes on the heels of several other high-profile cybersecurity breaches impacting Israel in recent weeks. Earlier this month, over 500 gigabytes of data were stolen from Ziv Medical Center, including hundreds of thousands of IDF medical records. With cyberattacks on the rise, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate has approved emergency regulations to bolster defenses and thwart escalating threats.
Responding to the escalating cyber threat, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate (INCD) announced the government’s approval of emergency regulations to bolster the country’s defenses against widespread cyberattacks. The INCD has been vigilant, identifying approximately 40 attempted cyberattacks on various companies and digital storage services catering to Israeli businesses since the onset of the conflict.
As tensions persist on multiple fronts, including the digital landscape, the cyber conflict between pro-Palestinian hackers and Israeli authorities adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing hostilities in the region.
