Jerusalem Post: Cyber Attacks as Iran’s Means to Respond to Israel Before Missile Strikes

20th August 2024

2 minutes read

Jerusalem Post: Cyber Attacks as Iran's Means to Respond to Israel Before Missile Strikes

The Israeli newspaper “Jerusalem Post” stated that Israel, including both the public and private sectors, must remain vigilant and prepared on all digital fronts against Iranian attacks.

Potential Cyber Attacks

The newspaper continued, indicating that Iran’s response to Israel might involve more than just a barrage of missiles and drones. It could also include waves of cyberattacks, which could be devastating in a different manner.

Last Wednesday, the X account of Iran International reported that a severe cyberattack had struck the Iranian Central Bank.

Iran International claimed that in this attack, customer details were stolen, and disruptions were identified in several bank branches across the country.

The newspaper added that the announcement of the cyberattack on the Iranian bank came a day after Iran warned that part of its response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh would include cyberattacks against Israel’s national infrastructure.

The newspaper noted that it was difficult to find further evidence of the cyberattack on Iran. No one has claimed responsibility for it yet, and the Iranian regime issued a statement claiming that no such attack had occurred.

Potential Attacks

The newspaper pointed out that a key element of any potential Iranian cyberattack on Israel would be in sectors where the effects are visible (such as service outages), as Iran employs the principle of psychological warfare as an important role in military campaigns.

Cyberattacks play a critical role in influencing public opinion, creating a sense of chaos, and undermining national and personal security. Additionally, cyberattack tools have an important dimension in the war itself, whether their intensity is high or low.

The newspaper added that cyberattacks against national infrastructures, such as banks, energy, water, transportation, or healthcare systems, have an impact on the battlefield and the ability to achieve military and governmental objectives, similar to the Russian cyberattack on the power grid in Ukraine during the early days of the war, where power was cut off for a quarter of a million homes in Ukraine, the Russian ground invasion began with great intensity, exploiting the chaos created in a country without electricity.

Israeli Confusion

According to the newspaper, Israel is in a state of great tension regarding the method and timing of Iran’s response to the assassination of Haniyeh, an assassination that Israel has not claimed responsibility for.

The newspaper continued, indicating that such a response could also come in the form of targeted cyberattacks on Israel’s national infrastructure, attacks with the potential to cause damage no less significant than a barrage of missiles or drones.