Cyberattacks and influence attempts on election day

In depth

According to Israel Hayom and Channel 14, Check Point researchers identified more than 1,200 internet addresses related to the vote that were registered over the two months examined, and one in every 47 is suspected of being malicious. According to Israel Hayom, hacker chatter on the dark web about the elections rose by 110%, and attack groups are discussing the possibility of harming major websites. According to Channel 14, the researchers also warn of impersonation of a voter information service.

According to Calcalist, the number of attack attempts on organizations in Israel jumped by 55% compared with the same period last year, and the government sector recorded an increase of 82%. Since the beginning of October, 87 successful attacks have been identified, and at the same time plans were uncovered to bring down the websites of the Knesset, the police and the Bank of Israel on election day. According to N12, users were sent phishing messages in the name of a voter information service.

The police and the State Attorney's Office announced that they had located a network of suspicious accounts on X which, according to the suspicion, operated to improperly influence the public ahead of the elections, and the accounts were removed. According to Israel Hayom, the activity was carried out as part of joint operations by the Investigations and Intelligence Division of the police and the cyber department of the State Attorney's Office. According to Ynet, the police's Matzpen unit deals with thwarting influence operations within Israel.