A shadow war in the conflict between Israel and terrorists from Hamas is being played out in cyberspace by politically motivated hackers known as "hacktivists."
Russia-aligned groups Killnet and Anonymous Sudan, which had previously targeted Ukraine and nations supporting it, have been among the hacking groups that have targeted Israel and its allies, Nikkei Asia reported Friday.
Israel's Red Alert app, which provides users with real-time warnings of rocket attacks, was targeted. Singaporean cybersecurity company Group-IB said the hacker group AnonGhost exploited vulnerabilities in the app to dispatch false notifications of an incoming nuclear bomb, Nikkei Asia reported.
Anonymous Sudan claims it's now targeting organizations in Kenya because of the Kenyan government's support for Israel, Axios reported, citing SecurityScorecard research published Wednesday.
Gil Messing, chief of staff at Israel-based cyber company Check Point Software Technologies, said in an email to Axios that anti-Israel group Irox Team is alleging that it's targeting companies in Brazil, which is supporting Israel.
Also, the hacker group Indian Cyber Force has launched cyberattacks against Hamas-linked websites in support of Israel, Nikkei Asia reported. In response, some anti-Israel hacker groups have claimed attacks against Indian government websites.
But Axios reported some hacking groups have slowed their operations in support of Hamas. For example, Killnet has returned to attacking Ukraine-based entities, according to its Telegram posts.
A few groups haven't posted on their Telegram channels — which they often use to boast about alleged targets or website-shutdown attacks — in at least two weeks, Axios reported, citing SecurityScorecard's report.
Indian cyberintelligence company FalconFeed said in an Oct. 17 blog post that when it comes to cyberwarfare, it is a daunting task to distinguish between fact and fiction.
"The Israel-Palestinian cyber conflict is no exception, with a myriad of groups making bold claims that often overshadow the reality on the ground," the company said. "A recurrent tactic observed is the rehashing of old data breaches, representing them as new and successful attacks. It's also not uncommon to see defunct or already compromised websites being presented as fresh conquests. This trend of embellishing successes only serves to muddle the waters of truth.
"As the digital landscape of the [Israel-Hamas] conflict unfolds, one thing is clear: There's often more noise than substance. As we navigate this evolving battleground, separating the wheat from the chaff becomes paramount."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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