Since Israel launched a military strike on Iran, there has been a dramatic increase in cyberattacks targeting Israeli infrastructure. Hackers linked to Iran have launched a series of cyberattacks against Israeli defense companies and critical infrastructure.
Radware, a cybersecurity firm based in Israel, reported a 700% spike in cyberattacks since June 13, when Israel began its offensive against Iranian nuclear and military sites. The company stated that this surge marks a “significant escalation in malicious network activity” aimed at Israeli infrastructure.
Ron Meyran, Radware’s Vice President of Cyber Threat Intelligence, explained that the attacks were part of cyber retaliation by Iranian state actors and pro-Iranian hacker groups. These attacks included Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, attempts to infiltrate critical infrastructure, data theft, and malware campaigns.
Cyber threat intelligence firm Falcon Feeds identified more than 150 hacker groups involved in the attacks. Over 100 of these groups have focused their efforts on Israeli infrastructure.
One hacker group, Mr Hamza, has claimed responsibility for targeting the websites of several Israeli, American, and British defense firms, as well as the Israeli military.
Another Iran-linked group, Handala, said it stole over two terabytes of data from Israeli companies, including the country’s largest energy company, Delek, and the construction firm Y.G. New Idan. Handala also claimed to have hacked into an Israeli telecom company and sent alarming emails to its customers warning of a missile attack.
Radware expects the cyberattacks to continue and intensify as the war between Israel and Iran continues. It predicts that hacker groups will target government websites, banks, telecom companies, and other critical infrastructure.
“Iranian state-sponsored cyber groups are likely to step up their efforts to disrupt Israeli infrastructure and create psychological impact,” Radware said.
Since the conflict began on Friday, Israel has bombed numerous targets in Iran, including nuclear sites, military facilities, and energy infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of dozens of military officials and civilians. In retaliation, Iran has launched missile attacks on Israel, hitting both infrastructure and residential areas.
