TEL AVIV — Offensive cyber activity against Israeli targets has intensified during the fighting in the Gaza Strip. According to a report issued in late December by the National Cyber Directorate, the attacks have shifted from website vandalism and information theft to more sophisticated actions designed to harm the country's critical infrastructure.
According to the report, the purpose of these attacks is to cause disruption and damage by preventing services, sabotaging databases or distorting mobile phone applications and create a wide-ranging impact by attacking companies that offer essential services to other big companies, jamming them with ransomware and deleting vital data or leaking compromising information.
Increased attacks by Iran groups
The Israeli Cyber Directorate noted that since the war began on Oct. 7, about 15 groups affiliated with Iran and its proxy militias, Hamas and Hezbollah, have attacked Israeli targets. They have been sharing information and intelligence, and employing methods similar to those used in the Russia-Ukraine war such as waging psychological warfare on social networks and the use of ransomware like Wiper.
