Regional crisis between Israel and Iran intensifies as cyberwar looms

Days before Iran’s attack on Israel last month with more than 300 drones and missiles, Tel Aviv’s cyber defense chief, Gaby Portnoy, highlighted the increasing conflict in cyberspace. According to Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, cyber attacks against the country surged in the first three months after the Hamas-led massacre, reaching 2.5 times higher than previous years, with 3,380 incidents recorded. Many of these attacks were linked to Tehran and its allies, including Hezbollah.

Around 800 hacking attacks during this period were deemed to have significant potential for harm, targeting government organizations, military, and civilian infrastructure. Portnoy emphasized that the intensity of the attacks, with Iranian and Hezbollah groups working together, was unprecedented.

Prior to the attack by Tehran, hackers associated with Iran claimed to have infiltrated Israeli radar systems, although Tel Aviv’s cyber defense agency refuted these claims, stating that no abnormal activity was detected during that time. Despite Israel’s advanced capabilities in cybersecurity, some recent attacks, such as incidents targeting hospitals in Haifa and Safed, resulted in the theft of patient data, with one linked to the Hezbollah support group, Lebanese Cedar.

In response to the growing Iranian threat in cyberspace, Israel has invested in a cyber summit to enhance strategies against Iranian hacking activities and anticipate potential technological disruptions. According to Mohammed Soliman of the Middle East Institute in Washington DC, the cyber conflict between Israel and Iran is among the oldest rivalries globally in this domain, with Israel having technological advantages due to U.S. support, while Iran is considered a rising cyber power backed by Russia and China.

Chuck Freilich of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University noted that Iran’s cyber activities target infrastructure sabotage, intelligence gathering, and propaganda dissemination. With support from Russia and China, as well as a focus on cyber education and training, Iran has been enhancing its capabilities in cyberspace, learning from Israel’s expertise over the years.