World braces for Iran-Israel cyberattacks following missile attack
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Cyberattacks are likely to be high on the list of options Israel and Iran are considering this week as they map out retaliatory actions, experts say.
Why it matters: Iran's drone and missile attack against Israel on Saturday brought the two nations into unprecedented territory.
- Israel's military leaders have already vowed to respond to the attack.
The big picture: Israel and Iran have long had a fraught relationship, filled with covert operations and destructive cyberattacks.
- Iran's weekend attack was the first time either country had launched a missile from its own territory toward the other.
What they're saying: "The overt hostility and the overt physical aspects of the state-on-state confrontation moved things into a different sphere," Andrew Borene, executive director for global security at Flashpoint, told Axios.
State of play: Cyberattacks tied to the Israel-Hamas conflict have already drawn in players from around the world.
- Politically motivated hackers have taken down emergency service applications, news sites and more throughout the conflict.
- Many of the groups involved are so-called hacktivist groups that researchers have tied to hackers based in Iran, Russia and elsewhere.
Threat level: Israel and Iran have the ability to launch destructive malware wipers, ransomware and other types of cyberattacks against each other, said Borene, who is also a former official for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
- Iranian government hackers deployed malware wipers against Albania in 2022. And the U.S. and Israel infected Iranian critical infrastructure with malware to disrupt a nuclear facility back in 2010.
- Iran has also been behind several cyberattacks targeting Israeli organizations during the ongoing Hamas conflict, Gil Messing, chief of staff at Israel-based Check Point Software, told Axios.
Between the lines: Cyber operations can give countries the ability to retaliate without risking mass casualties, Borene said.
Yes, but: The Israel National Cyber Directorate told Politico it didn't see any "abnormal online activity" during the missile attack.
- Many hacking groups spent the weekend claiming responsibility for attacks that didn't happen, analysts at intelligence group Flashpoint wrote in a blog post.
What's next: Israel is still weighing its options for retaliation, and Western leaders have been trying to talk the country into a more diplomatic response to prevent further escalation.
- It could be a few days, or weeks, until Israel responds.
