As Israel fended off physical attacks from the air, it also grappled with a surge in silent, sophisticated cyber warfare.Since the launch of Operation Rising Lion on June 13, cyberattacks against Israeli entities have surged by more than 700%.The targets? Not just defense systems or infrastructure, but civilians and financial institutions at the heart of the economy.
One particularly widespread campaign came disguised as an act of aid. Thousands of Israelis received a message claiming to be from the Finance Ministry, offering wartime grants to households.The form looked official: clean branding, bureaucratic language, a tone of reassurance. But behind the scenes, it was a data trap.Cyber Attack (credit: INGIMAGE)Victims were asked to submit sensitive personal information: ID numbers, home addresses, number of family members, and bank account details.“It looked completely legitimate,” one recipient said. “I only realized I had handed over everything to attackers after it was too late.”
This is the essence of wartime social engineering, exploiting panic, urgency, and confusion to trick people into giving attackers exactly what they need.These attacks are not only aimed at the public. They have penetrated deep into Israel’s financial sector, where remote work and digital collaboration have become the norm.From phishing emails that mimic IT departments to fake Zoom invites and Slack messages urging urgent action, attackers are targeting the internal systems companies rely on most, especially when they are stretched thin during conflict.In a world where physical borders are fading, the battlefield has moved to the screen. Israel, widely regarded as a global cyber power, is not only a defender; it’s also a high-value target. What drives the attackers? How do they view their operations? And why is Israel such a coveted target?
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