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| The Fake Israeli Missile Sirens Blaring, Iranian Hackers Blamed |
International Military - Israeli cybersecurity officials believe an enemy-led cyberattack was responsible for a number of false siren alerts that blared for nearly an hour on Sunday (19/6/2022) in Jerusalem's Eilat and Talpiot, Katamon and Beit Hakerem neighborhoods.
The allegations were disclosed by Israeli Army Radio and local Hebrew-language media. According to the source, personnel of Israel's National Cyber Directorate (INCD) suspect a coordinated cyber attack was "behind a system malfunction" that allowed cybercriminals to access and activate the city's siren system which has a different level of security from the Israel Defense Forces Front Command (IDF) alert system.
While the INCD has yet to confirm a suspected perpetrator of the cyber attack, a former Israeli military official is one of several security experts who speculate Tehran may be the coordinator. "Israel is preparing to face Iran's attempts to harm the country through cyber warfare," former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan told Army Radio.
Radiflow, an Israeli industrial cybersecurity startup, said Sunday's incident highlighted a possible blind spot in the alert system. "Whether this siren attack by Iran was a false signal or an unintentional trigger remains to be seen, but the city's lack of cybersecurity clearly exists," Radiflow CEO Ilan Barda said in a Monday statement.
No ransomware or extortion plots were found by Israeli officials, officials said Monday. One diplomatic source appears to have downplayed the alleged cyberattack.
He told the Jerusalem Post that, "(Here) there is constant cyber activity against Israel." "In terms of Israel working to improve its cyber resilience, it's not in a bad place," an unnamed diplomatic source told the outlet.
The individual highlighted that Israel, in cooperation with other countries, would build a cyber version of its Iron Dome defense system. "The headline about yesterday's sirens was exaggerated," the diplomatic source claimed.
Tehran has not yet responded to allegations of hacking Israel's siren system filed by various entities. Tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated further in recent weeks following the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei. His murder was attributed to Israeli forces in the New York Times report.
As the rhetoric escalated among Middle Eastern countries, Tehran vowed to avenge the late high-ranking officers and other Iran-linked security personnel in Syria and Iran. The IRGC pledges appear to have prompted Israel to raise suspicions against so-called "real" threats.
The alert reached a new level on Friday when Israeli officials claimed to have intelligence that Iran attempted to carry out a number of attacks over the past weekend, with some targeting some 2,000 Israelis in Istanbul, Turkey. "Iranian and Turkish mercenary cells are looking for Israelis at all costs," a senior security official told Ynet News. “We can't thwart every attack; I urge Israelis to return home," the Israeli official said.
Israeli nationals who were able to evacuate were instructed to “leave Istanbul immediately,” and others were told to remain in their locked hotel rooms and reduce their identification as Jewish citizens.
Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point Research reported last week that Iranian-based hackers were leading a spear-phishing operation to obtain identifiable information belonging to high-ranking Israeli officials. Those targeted for the cyberattack included former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and other targets linked to Tel Aviv. Tehran has not claimed responsibility for the alleged crimes.