Nations backing Israel experience surge in hacking activities, including India

Pro-Palestinian cyber activists have expanded their targets to include countries seen as allies of Israel in the conflict against Hamas.

New Delhi: Nations supporting Israel in the ongoing war with Hamas, that includes India, have seen a notable uptick in cyber activities against them, a report showed on Wednesday.

Pro-Palestinian cyber activists have broadened their scope beyond Israel, targeting countries perceived as Israeli allies in the war against Hamas.

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The US, France, India, and more recently, Italy have seen a significant rise in hacking attempts against their interests, according to the report by cyber-security firm CheckPoint.

Groups like ‘Cyber error system’, which typically concentrate their efforts in Asia, particularly India, continued to maintain their focus on the region.

“They justified their ongoing attacks by citing the ongoing conflict as a rationale. The number of attacks on India exceeded 230,” said the report.

Mysterious Team Bangladesh, a group that has regularly participated in various cyber operations against France for its colonialist past, as well as against India and Sri Lanka, declared its readiness to initiate cyberattacks against Israeli targets and promoted collective action with the hashtag #OpIsraelV2.

They collaborated with ‘Team_insane_Pakistan’, exchanging 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, yet the inflicted damage was minimal,” the report mentioned.

French digital infrastructure experienced over 300 incidents, predominantly DDoS attacks and website defacements with minimal impact.

“Since the beginning of the conflict, in particular as foreign leaders expressed their solidarity with Israel, additional nations were added to the roster of potential targets,” the findings showed.

The EU’s suspension of financial aid to the Palestinians on October 10 led to a flurry of cyber operations targeting European organisations.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s personal website experienced a DDoS attack by the hacktivist actor SYLHET GANG-SG. Similar attacks were also launched against the Cyprus police, several Canadian entities, the British military, and other targets. Even UNICEF has been listed as one of their targets.

“While the direct damage inflicted by these cyberattacks remains relatively contained, the broader implications are significant. The persistence and evolving nature of these threats underscore the need for robust cybersecurity measures,” said the researchers.