Widespread Cyberattacks on Israeli Institutions’ Websites

Israeli media reported that starting from Thursday morning, June 21, websites of several Israeli institutions and centers have been targeted by cyberattacks, with messages about “the destruction of Israel” posted on their homepages.

Websites of some municipalities and institutions such as the Lake Tiberias Protection Organization, whose water is important to Israel, are among the centers that have been hacked, with the phrase “Savior Hackers” appearing at the bottom of these pages.

According to the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post, the main pages of the hacked sites contain videos and warnings in both Hebrew and English, including “Expect a big surprise.”

Also, in a message written in broken Hebrew and English: “The countdown for the destruction of Israel began long ago.”

The phrase “Israel will not see the next 25 years” was also posted in Hebrew on some sites; this is a famous statement by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, leader of the Islamic Republic, made in September 2015.

Images and statements from Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, also appeared on the homepages of some sites, while on others, an image of a “wounded” Benjamin Netanyahu struggling not to drown in water was seen, with burning ships and beaches, presumably Tel Aviv, visible in the background.

This image is likely a reference to one of Hussein Salamis statements in April of last year, shortly before his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, when he told the Israeli Prime Minister: “Practice swimming in the Mediterranean because soon you will have no way out but to flee to the sea.”

Israel’s National Cyber Defense Headquarters stated that Thursday’s cyberattack, despite its scale, was “superficial” and caused “no damage” to infrastructure, with necessary measures taken to remove the hack and investigate the attack factors.

Some Israeli media attributed these attacks to Iran and considered them an action on the eve of “Quds Day,” but some technology experts like Lotem Finkelstein have said that it is plausible that the Palestinian Hamas movement from Gaza and other Palestinian supporters from Turkey and African countries could be behind this attack, given the history of such actions in recent weeks.

Avatar Gat, a digital affairs expert, told Jerusalem Post that this attack was a combination and aimed at damaging websites to disrupt economic activities as well as gain access to computer cameras and users’ personal information.

The Fox News network reported last month that Iranian hackers attacked Israel’s water network in the first week of April, which caused no damage but surprised the country.

The Washington Post and New York Times newspapers also wrote in recent days that Israel, in response to a cyberattack on the country’s water network, attacked computers at Rajaii Port operators in southern Iran on April 20, which caused serious disruption to ship loading and unloading for several days.

Israel’s Channel 13 reported Wednesday evening that the effects of Israel’s cyberattack on Rajaii Port continue and many ships’ cargo still has not been unloaded or has not been able to load.

Alon Ben David, military correspondent for Israel’s Channel 13 television, said the country’s army used advanced and previously untested capabilities for the electronic attack on Rajaii Port.

On the other hand, reactions continue to the publication of a poster on the website of Iran’s Supreme Leader in which the phrase “final solution” was used for the Palestinian issue.

Meanwhile, the Guardian Council approved a bill from the Islamic Consultative Assembly entitled “Countering the Hostile Actions of the Zionist Regime (Israel) Against Peace and Security.”

Each year, on the eve of “Quds Day,” the last Friday of Ramadan, verbal attacks and tensions between Iran and Israel intensify.

Source: Radio Farda