Israeli Official: Cyberattack That Downed Government Sites Must Be State-Sponsored

The cyberattack that shortly downed Israeli government websites on Monday “could have been carried out only by a powerful entity – not a hacker or even a group of hackers,” a senior Israeli official told Yisrael Hayom on Tuesday.

He added that it is believed that the strike was the work of a state that has extensive offensive cyber capabilities. This group includes Iran, but it is possible the cyberattack was carried out by another element.

The National Cyber Directorate was looking into all leads, he stressed.

Though very short, Monday’s cyberattack was one of the most extensive to hit Israel in recent months. Still, despite taking down a large number of government websites, it failed to inflict any harm or truly cripple state functions.

“Operational continuity was maintained,” the official said. “Overall, this incident is similar to that of apprehending a suicide bomber heading to central Israel before he has the chance to carry out the attack.”

The NCD’s investigation so far has discovered network vulnerabilities in two of the government’s internet service providers. The matter has been resolved and the websites are back online in full.

Another government source told Yisrael Hayom that initial conclusions have already been drawn from the incident, and he was sure there would be more to follow.

“Lessons are constantly being learned in Israel, including in the wake of the alleged Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine, as part of the fighting between the two countries, and as part of which Russia has succeeded in undermining Ukraine’s connection to the world,” he said.

The National Cyber Directorate and Communications Ministry held an extensive drill simulating a massive cyberattack on government and critical infrastructure in August.

The Communications Ministry said Tuesday that, in light of the growing cyber threats from hostile entities, it intends to require all the communications companies that also serve as internet providers to offer protection against cyberattacks.