Hacking groups with alleged ties to Russia have launched cyberattacks against Israeli government and media websites in a concerning escalation of the ongoing conflict in the region. These groups, including Killnet and Anonymous Sudan, have shown support for Hamas, the Palestinian military group responsible for a series of deadly strikes on Israel.
Killnet, a group purporting to be patriotic Russian volunteer hackers, announced their intention to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on all Israeli government systems. They blamed Israel for the recent bloodshed and accused the country of supporting Ukraine and NATO. While the group claimed to have successfully taken down an Israeli government website and the security agency Shin Bet’s website, further verification is required.
Meanwhile, Anonymous Sudan, suspected to be a Russian front group, has declared its support for the “Palestinian resistance.” The group claimed responsibility for briefly taking down the website of the Jerusalem Post, a leading Israeli newspaper. The Jerusalem Post confirmed the cyberattack and stated that it had been targeted by multiple cyberattacks. Fortunately, the website has since been restored.
Mattias Wåhlén, a threat intelligence expert at cybersecurity firm Truesec AB, commented on these actions, suggesting that Russian hacktivists are actively supporting Hamas in its conflict against Israel. He believes that these attacks may be motivated by opportunistic gain, as the conflict generates attention, attracting groups like Killnet seeking to monetize DDoS attacks. This association with Hamas sends a concerning message that Russia is aligning itself against Israel.
Numerous other self-proclaimed hacktivist groups have also claimed to be launching cyberattacks on Israeli infrastructure, targeting websites affiliated with power plants and missile alert systems. However, the veracity of many of these claims remains uncertain.
Group-IB, a cybersecurity firm, has identified hacker group AnonGhost as having compromised a mobile phone application used for issuing missile alerts to Israelis during conflicts. These hackers exploited a vulnerability in the app to insert fake notifications, featuring messages such as “death to Israel” and “the nuclear bomb is coming,” alongside a swastika. Screenshots posted by the hackers further substantiated these claims. As a result, the app appears to have been removed from the Google Play Store, where it had gained over 1 million downloads.
Pro-Israel groups have also taken part in cyberattacks, targeting Palestinian organizations. The Indian Cyber Force claimed responsibility for bringing down the websites of the Palestinian National Bank and Hamas. As of now, both platforms remain inaccessible, and the bank couldn’t be reached for comment.
Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. reported that the impact of these cyberattacks has been minimal so far. However, cyber experts warn that the situation could change rapidly, and more coordinated and sophisticated attacks might occur.
While Iran has been previously blamed for cyberattacks against Israel, it is currently unclear if their hacking forces are involved in the ongoing conflict. Additionally, the National Security Agency has observed minor denial-of-service attacks and web defacements, with expectations of an increase in cyber activism supporting Hamas’s cause.
As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict persists, experts anticipate a potential escalation in cyber warfare, with hacktivists and other parties leveraging cyber weapons to amplify their messages and support their respective causes.
Updated: The hacker group AnonGhost released a statement on Telegram, stating their intention to target additional Israeli apps that issue missile alerts while encouraging their supporters to spam a designated Israeli cyber official’s phone number.
Please note that the previously mentioned hacking activities have not mentioned significant cyber impacts thus far. However, experts emphasize vigilance as the situation continues to evolve, and the potential influence of cyber warfare cannot be underestimated.
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