Alleged Cyberattack Sets Off Israeli Missile Sirens

Cyberattacks comes in many shapes and sizes: Hackers use the tools at their disposal to go after companies and organisations with different goals, such as money, power, or simply to “troll.” However, sometimes, the stakes are much higher: Global powers utilize cyberattacks to their political advantage, to send a message, or to start a conflict. We may have seen the latest evidence in Israel.

Israel claims Iranian cyberattack set off missile sirens

According to Tech Monitor, an alleged cyberattack triggered missile sirens in two Israeli cities the weekend of June the 18th. If a cyberattack was the cause of these missile attack sirens going off, the assumption turns to Iran as the culprit, as the two countries have been exchanging an increasing number of cyberattacks.

Officials were able to reassure citizens of Jerusalem and Eilat on Saturday evening that the sirens were not ringing for a legitimate reason. The Israel Internet Association said this incident showed, “how much damage to civilian systems disrupts the lives of Israeli citizens, and a gap between Israel’s excellent cyber defence capabilities on infrastructure that it defines as critical and the deficient protection of other civilian infrastructures.”

Israel and Iran’s ever-increasing cyberattacks against one another

Israel and Iran have been engaged in cyberattacks for some time now. Iran, or Iran allies, are accused of an attack that took down the Israel Airport Authority’s website, while the US claims Israel disrupted Iranian petrol stations. The two countries have reportedly expanded their cyberattacks to target civilians as well.