Rising Cyber Threats Against Israel: Government Official Raises Alarm as Number of Attacks Surges

With the escalation of conflict in cyberspace looming over Israel last month, Gaby Portnoy, the cyber defense chief of Tel Aviv, raised concerns about the potential harm that could come from an attack. The National Cyber Directorate of Israel reported a significant increase in cyber attacks following the Hamas-led massacre, with 3,380 incidents recorded in just the first three months alone – almost three times higher than previous years. Many of these attacks were attributed to Tehran and its allies, particularly Hezbollah.

Among these incidents, 800 hacking attacks were deemed to have significant potential for harm, targeting government organizations, military, and civilian infrastructure. Portnoy noted that Iranian and Hezbollah groups were working together to launch attacks on Israel across various sectors. A group of hackers linked to Iran claimed to have breached Israeli radar systems prior to the attack, although Israeli cyber defense agencies deny any abnormal activity.

Despite Israel’s advanced capabilities in cybersecurity, some attacks have been successful. For example