Israel has incurred several cyberattacks following the large-scale surprise attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Among the recorded incidents was an attack on the country’s services and government information website, resulting in the portal’s connectivity failure.
It was claimed by hacktivists called Killnet, a pro-Russian cyber group that gained notoriety after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“Israeli government, you are responsible for this bloodshed,” Killnet said, as quoted by Cybernews.
“Back in 2022, you supported the terrorist regime in Ukraine. You betrayed Russia. Today, Killnet officially informs you of this! All government systems of Israel will be subject to our attacks!”
Media, Iron Dome, Power Station Attacked
A separate attack came from Anonymous Sudan, a cybercriminal group suspected to be a Russian cyber-military unit in disguise and not affiliated with the decentralized international hacktivists Anonymous.
Anonymous Sudan announced it sides with Hamas and targeted newspaper The Jerusalem Post. The Tel Aviv media outlet confirmed the activity on X, saying that “multiple cyberattacks” caused its website to crash.
The company said it will be back soon to continue covering Hamas’ “murderous attacks.”
The Jerusalem Post has been targeted by multiple cyberattacks this morning causing our site to crash.
We'll be back soon and will continue to be the top source of information on Operation Swords of Iron and the murderous attacks by Hamas. pic.twitter.com/6S2GOl6Wma
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) October 8, 2023
Simultaneously, Anonymous Sudan took credit for a digital assault on the Israeli government’s Iron Dome all-weather air defense capability.
Meanwhile, Pakistani hackers called “Team Insane PK” took credit for a cyberattack on an Israeli hydroelectric power station. Data stolen from this activity will be released soon, the cyber group announced.
Team Insane PK is a religious cyberterrorist known for targeting Indian entities since February 2023.
President’s Telegram Hacked
Days prior to Hamas’ attack, the Telegram channel of Israeli President Isaac Herzog was hacked.
The breach was thought to be “criminal in nature,” the president’s office said, suggesting it was not linked to a foreign power or tied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Investigations showed no information was stolen, according to the government’s internal security agency Shin Bet.
