Israeli Cyber Chief Warns Iran Escalating Attacks on West

Jerusalem, 25 June, 2024 (TPS) -- Iran is escalating cyber attacks on the West and even its own allies in a bid to steal sensitive information, Israel’s cyber security chief warned in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

“Iran, as an aggressive country in cyber as well, attacks many countries around the world, even those that are considered its allies,” said Gaby Portnoy, head of the Israel National Cyber Directorate. He was addressing the annual Cyber Week conference at Tel Aviv University. The Directorate is a government body responsible for coordinating and implementing Israel’s national cyber defense strategy.

Portnoy said Iran has particularly targeted Saudi Arabia, Oman, Canada, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, India, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, and Austria, among others, stressing that the stolen data is repurposed for further Iranian cyber terrorism.

“Iranian cyber aggression is an international problem, and not just an Israeli one, so the solution should be international,” Portnoy insisted.

Portnoy’s speech underscored the emergence of new cyber attack groups, such as the Homeland Justice strike team, allegedly operated by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and previously active in Albania. He also mentioned the Imperial Kitten group, associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which has conducted operations in both Israel and the United States.

Since October 7, Iranian cyber attacks have tripled in frequency and crossed humanitarian red lines, including a thwarted attack on Ziv Hospital in Safed, Portnoy said.

“Iran’s actions are a complete violation of privacy laws and international treaties, and cause worldwide harm to innocent citizens,” the cyber chief stated. He called for a unified international front to defend against, deter, and hold Iran accountable for its cyber activities.

Portnoy outlined various measures taken to combat these threats, including advanced threat intelligence, technological initiatives like “Cyber Dome” and “Crystal Ball,” enhanced regulation, efforts to boost resilience and awareness, and adjustments to Israel’s national hotline to provide assistance and guidance on cybersecurity issues.

Portnoy also called for deeper collaboration. “We need to take our joint work together one step further, to a place where we have the Cyber Dome protection at the national level, cloud control, and control centers for every sector and organization as in the ‘Cyber-Shield’ project that we are developing, for detection and protection against cyber attacks. This should be done while protecting the interests and privacy of all parties,” he urged.

A Microsoft report released in February found that Iranian disinformation activities and cyber attacks on Israel have soared since October 7 and raised concerns about greater collaboration between various Iran-affiliated hacker groups.