Hamas-Israel Cyber War Goes Digital: A Deep Dive into the Complex World of Hacktivism

Police – Accident – Death – Obituary News : The day began with the promise of a joyous celebration during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, with the early morning sun casting a hopeful glow. But soon, it all turned dark as Daniel Levi, an attendee at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel, and many like her, attempted to escape after Hamas paragliders descended onto the scene, launching an attack that transformed the serene morning into a nightmare.

Dozens of terrorists seemed to emerge from thin air, advancing upon the crowd like malevolent apparitions, shooting from all directions. Festival attendees scattered around like ants, as the terrorists took one shot after another, sparing no one in sight. Simultaneously, the Palestinian militant group launched a flurry of rockets at Israel and breached its defenses by air, sea, and land in a surprise attack.

“They began firing, and rockets filled the sky,” Levi recounted during an ABC News Live interview. With nowhere to hide, Daniel and her friends decided to climb the trees instead of staying out in the open fields. They bore witness to the horrifying sight of people being shot down. Six agonizing hours passed while they clung to the branches, their hearts pounding in rhythm with the gunfire below.

As the daylight gave way to shadows, a glimmer of hope appeared. Daniel and her companions decided to make a daring escape, venturing into an open field and making their way toward a nearby stream. The turning point came when they spotted a police vehicle approaching—a beacon of salvation in a landscape fraught with peril.

However, not all were as fortunate. The massacre claimed the lives of hundreds, igniting the flames of the ongoing Hamas-Israel cyber war, a devastating conflict that has exacted a heavy toll on countless innocent lives.

Hamas-Israel Cyber War Goes Digital

The Hamas-Israel conflict has transcended the physical battlefield, spilling into the digital domain. The rapid dissemination of deceptive claims and altered images was already a major concern, but the emergence of hacktivist groups aligning themselves with either side of the conflict has compounded these mounting apprehensions.

These self-proclaimed “digital warriors” make their presence known on popular social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter, and Telegram, where they boast of their cyber exploits, asserting successful attacks on critical organizations, although the evidence for their claims often remains elusive. They go a step further by disclosing their intended targets and even sharing stolen sensitive information.

This digital onslaught adds another layer of deception and complexity to the traditional battlefield, making discernment and truth-seeking crucial in these tumultuous times. With the war’s physical and digital dimensions becoming intertwined, the motivations driving these cyber-attacks span a spectrum, encompassing objectives such as intelligence gathering, disruption of critical infrastructure, and the dissemination of ideological messages. In essence, the primary objectives of these hacktivists are to intimidate and create chaos.

Certain hacker collectives are also exploiting the conflict to advance their own objectives, employing it as a diversion to escalate their cyberattacks.

Prominent Hacktivist Groups Take a Stand

Hackers backing the war are unpredictable in their choice of targets, presenting challenges for security experts trying to anticipate their actions. While identifying which side hacker groups align with can give some insight into their motives, predicting their specific next target remains complex.

Shedding light on these cyber operations, Cyble, the leader in AI-based Threat Intelligence Solutions Provider, thoroughly analyzed a week into the Hamas-Israel conflict, noting the coordinated web of attacks and the fundamentalism fueling the conflict. Since the start of 2023, the report noted, Israeli entities have faced DDoS attacks from hacktivists with political and ideological motives, although these attacks were relatively moderate in scale and reach.

Following heightened tensions along the Gaza Border, researchers at Cyble noted a surge in hacktivism on social media platforms, particularly using hashtags like #OpIsrael and #AlAqsaFlood, beginning on Saturday, October 7, 2023. (Source: Cyble)

Moreover, hacktivist groups like Team insane PK, Garnesia Team, Garuda Security, Team Herox, Hacktivist Pakistan, Team Azrael, Mysterious Team Bangladesh, GB Anon 17, Executor Team Cyber, SYLHET GANG-SG, Lulz Security Agency and Ghosts of Palestine were quick to propagandize the campaign in favor of Palestine.

Dark Web, Social Media: A Breeding Ground for Cyberattack Claims

Several hacker groups have been boasting about their latest targets and victims on platforms like Telegram and X. Cybersecurity experts and threat intelligence platforms are constantly sharing these updates, highlighting the rapid escalation of this cyber war.

Among the initial attacks, hackers were noted targeting critical infrastructure and communication centers. Moreover, hackers with political motivations reportedly launched attacks on colleges, billboards, and newspapers within the initial weeks of the war.

On the dawn of Sunday, October 8, the Pro-Russia hacker group Killnet vocalized its plan to compromise all Israeli government systems using distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. The hacker collective attributes the ongoing violence to Israel and alleges the nation’s support for Ukraine and NATO. Post their declaration, Killnet claimed they momentarily disrupted an Israeli government portal and the Shin Bet security agency’s website, as reported by Time.

Anonymous Sudan, believed to be operating as a facade for Russian interests, expressed its backing for the “Palestinian resistance” and claimed responsibility for taking down the Jerusalem Post’s website. The incident was confirmed by the news organizations.

Two smart billboards near Tel Aviv were hacked, replacing the commercials with anti-Israeli content. The displayed content, as reported by CNBC, depicted the Israeli flag under fire and footage from Gaza.

GHOSTS of Palestine was found to have exposed the IP addresses of Israel’s air defense system, the Iron Dome. A Telegram channel known as ‘AKSAR DDOS’ was also noted for discussions among its members regarding potential targets within the Iron Dome systems. (Source: Cyble)

AnonGhost Official sought to sow panic by circulating fabricated nuclear threat warnings. They claimed to have successfully breached the ‘Red Alert Israel’ national emergency phone application. Within this app, they generated numerous fake alerts, including deceptive notifications of a nuclear bomb threat. Furthermore, the group shared a Proof of Concept (PoC) to exploit vulnerabilities in the Red Alert system, allowing them to compromise users’ mobile devices. (Source: Cyble)

The hacktivist collective ‘Cyber Av3ngers’ has also gained prominence amid the Hamas-Israel war. Their tactics include launching DDoS attacks and achieving full system breaches. (Source: Cyble)

As per insights from Cyble, this group has reportedly compromised several pivotal organizations in Israel, naming the Israel National Cyber Directorate, Bazan Group, Railway Authority, National Electricity Authority, Noga Enterprises, Dorad Energy Ltd., and Mekorot, recognized as Israel’s National Water Carrier.

Over 100 Active Hacker Groups Involved in the Israel and Palestine Conflict

The continuous conflict between Israel and Hamas brings forward nations’ challenges when addressing politically driven cyber groups. Hacktivists frequently target government-affiliated entities to disrupt wartime operations.

In another analysis of the Israel-Palestine cyberwar, threat intelligence platform FalconFeeds identified a total of 116 active hacker groups involved. Among these groups, 23 express pro-Israel sentiments, while a significant majority of 90 show support for the Palestinian side. Interestingly, three groups have chosen to remain neutral and refrained from taking a stance in the conflict.

Breaking these groups down by their inclinations, a pronounced number of religious hacktivists from Asia and the Middle East have backed Palestine. In addition, the pro-Russia hacker coalition KillNet, in alliance with Anonymous Sudan, has vocalized its support for Palestine. This alignment has stirred discussions, suggesting that some hacker groups may leverage the conflict to further their agendas.

Conversely, the report highlighted groups, predominantly from the Indian subcontinent like SilentOne and Indian Cyber Force, siding with Israel and significantly impacting the cyber warfare landscape.

In a separate analysis conducted by Fusion Intelligence Center @StealthMole, a range of hacker groups expressing support for both Israel and Palestine were observed. This analysis uncovered direct and indirect connections to hacker groups that have claimed or been alleged to have launched cyberattacks against South Korea. Adding to the absurdity of the affiliations and strategic positions among threat actors. Moreover, it also emphasized the intricate and multifaceted nature of the cyber warfare within the Israel-Palestine conflict.

In the visual representation provided below, green lines are used to depict groups supporting Palestine, blue lines signify those advocating for Israel, red lines are employed to indicate references to direct attacks on South Korea, and yellow lines are utilized to highlight mentions of indirect attacks on South Korea. The report highlights several prominent hacker groups involved in the conflict, shedding light on the complex and interconnected nature of this cyber war.

As the physical conflict between Hamas and Israel continues to rage on, the cyber war between hacktivist groups aligned with either side adds another layer of chaos and deception to an already devastating situation. With no end in sight to the violence, the digital realm has become a battlefield of its own, where hacktivists exploit vulnerabilities, launch attacks, and propagate propaganda. As innocent lives are lost and the death toll rises, the impact of this cyber war on the people of Israel and Palestine cannot be ignored. The international community must come together to address this escalating conflict and find a path towards peace..