Fake 'nuclear bomb alerts' to taking down govt websites, the Israel-Hamas war goes digital

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza's militant group Hamas is taking up a new dimension. Hackers, who also call themselves 'hacktivists' are trying to target important Israeli web services. A Microsoft report even suggested that a group called Storm-1133 has been trying to target Israeli energy, defense, and telecommunications companies since early this year. Apart from the planned moves, multiple hacktivist groups have been attacking either the Israeli or Palestinian digital infrastructure, in accordance with their political inclinations. 

A group from the Gaza Strip, referred to as 'Storm-1133' by Microsoft, targeted Israeli companies and institutions. They created fake LinkedIn profiles pretending to be software developers or project managers and sent harmful software (malware) to employees at these companies. This malware allowed them to install back doors for future communication.

Attacks on Israel's Digital Infrastructure and News Websites

Threat intelligence researcher at Equinix, Will Thomas tweeted saying that cyberattacks on Israel have targeted, government sites, civil services, news sites, financial institutions, telecommunications, and energy companies. A pro-Palestinian hacktivist AnonGhost even claimed responsibility for an attack on an application that alerts Israeli residents about incoming rockets. According to a report by the Washington Post, the group made fake claims of rockets and even announced that a nuclear bomb was incoming. The hackers compromised the application in order to make it seem like official communication from the Israeli military.

The hackers are also taking on government websites using DDoS attacks. These attacks overload the websites with traffic, causing them to go offline temporarily. The website of Jerusalem Post, a prominent news website in Israel fell victim to this kind of attack. The website was able to regain functionality later.

🔴 The Jerusalem Post is currently experiencing downtime due to a series of cyberattacks initiated against us since yesterday morning.

We are actively addressing the situation and will be back soon, continuing to serve as your top source of information on Operation Swords of… pic.twitter.com/896sWH07kH

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) October 9, 2023

The attack on the Jerusalem Post was claimed by group called Anonymous Sudan, which has previously shown its ability to disrupt Microsoft services. This group is allied with KillNet, a Russian nationalist hacking group.

What is the motive of the hacktivists?

It is common for hacktivist groups to launch cyberattacks during armed conflict, similar to what happened in Ukraine. These hackers are often not affiliated with any governments but rather a decentralized group of politically motivated hackers. Their activities can disrupt websites and services but are far more limited compared to the activities of nation-state hacking groups. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, US Intelligence hasn't witnessed a major nation-state waging cyberattacks on either side.

Also read: Israel-Hamas war: Mia Khalifa fired from podcast deal after supporting Palestine

Also read: Israel-Palestine War: What is Israel's 'Iron Dome' and how Hamas' missiles breached it