Pro-Palestinian Cyber Activists Target Allies of Israel

Countries supporting Israel, including India, have recently experienced an increase in cyberattacks. Pro-Palestinian cyber activists have expanded their targets beyond Israel, focusing on countries they see as allies of Israel in the conflict with Hamas.

The United States, France, India, and Italy have all seen a significant rise in hacking attempts against their interests, as reported by the cybersecurity firm CheckPoint. For instance, groups like ‘Cyber error system’ continued to focus on Asia, particularly India, with over 230 attacks attributed to them, citing the ongoing conflict as their rationale.

Another group, ‘Mysterious Team Bangladesh,’ known for its cyber operations against France and India, declared its readiness to initiate cyberattacks against Israeli targets. They collaborated with ‘Team_insane_Pakistan’ and exchanged target information and successes. Their attacks targeted various Israeli entities, including the space agency, port authorities, media outlets, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and financial institutions, although the damage inflicted was minimal.

France experienced over 300 incidents, primarily Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and website defacements, with minimal impact. The conflict’s escalation and foreign leaders expressing solidarity with Israel led to more nations becoming potential targets.

The suspension of financial aid to the Palestinians by the European Union on October 10 resulted in cyber operations targeting European organizations. Notably, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s personal website experienced a DDoS attack, and similar attacks were launched against various entities, including the British military and UNICEF.

While the direct damage from these cyberattacks remains relatively contained, the broader implications underscore the need for robust cybersecurity measures.