Hackers thought to be from Gaza are attacking energy, defense, and telecommunications firms in Israel’s private sector, as part of its apparent attacks against the country.
In a report , Microsoft’s researchers said a group it calls Storm-1133 is engaging in cyber-warfare to assist Hamas.
“We assess this group works to further the interests of Hamas, a Sunni militant group that is the de facto governing authority in the Gaza Strip, as activity attributed to it has largely affected organizations perceived as hostile to Hamas,” the Redmond giant said.
Impersonating and phishing
Besides the above-mentioned firms, the hackers are also targeting entities linked to Fatah, a Palestinian nationalist and social democratic political party located in the West Bank.
In the attacks, the hackers impersonate Israeli human resources managers, project coordinators, and other professionals, and then reach out to potential victims with phishing messages. The goal of the campaign is to assist Hamas’ campaign by stealing sensitive information, conducting espionage, delivering malware, and more. Microsoft did not name the companies being targeted, nor did it say how successful the campaigns have been.
Over the weekend, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalated as multiple hacking groups attacked Israel’s government websites and IT systems, including the famed Ghost of Palestine, The Hacker News reported.
“Around 70 incidents where Asian hacktivist groups are actively targeting nations like Israel, India, and even France, primarily due to their alignment with the U.S.,” Falconfeeds.io said in a post shared on X.
Israel has labeled the attack as an act of war, rather than an act of terrorism, and vowed to respond accordingly.
Via The Hacker News
