4 Aug, 2014 21:46

‘Israel you’re weak’: Anonymous hacktivists shut down key Israeli websites

Worldwide hacker collective Anonymous has unleashed another wave of attacks against Israel’s government websites over their military incursion into Gaza, taking down “hundreds” of portals, including those run by Mossad and the IDF.

Among the scalps claimed by the group were the Ministry of Justice website, the state archive portal, and even the national advertising agency. Most of the attacks were repelled within hours, with all agencies currently back online.

“We are attacking the government of Israel more .. Israel you're weak! :(“ said a tweet from one of the branches of the dispersed network of online activists, known as AnonymousGlobo.

Tango Down Again - http://t.co/OTb16v21zU http://t.co/o7IoOzYovE http://t.co/uA7tncBpJV http://t.co/4OJcmGsbqe #Anonymous
— Anonymous (@AnonymousGlobo) August 4, 2014

Anonymous generally uses DDOS (distributed denial of service attacks) that overload a website with fake requests, making it unavailable for legitimate users.

The group announced its latest operation #OpSaveGaza at the beginning of last month, but the intensity of attacks was ramped up a week ago, when a Palestinian man was shot dead, while wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, which serves as a symbol of the movement.

#OpSaveGaza: Anonymous pledges more cyber-breaches over Israeli attacks

Government of Israel have experienced a small fraction of our anger. R.I.P Tayyeb Shehadah - #Anonymous LEAKED: https://t.co/wd02OVy8Vo
— Anonymous (@AnonymousGlobo) August 4, 2014

Anonymous carried out one of its most high-profile attacks during the last invasion of Gaza two years ago, when it claimed dealing $3 billion worth of damage to Israel.

The network has asked its supporters to download disruptive software that can be used in the attacks, which depend on many hacktivists acting simultaneously.

Anonymous invite all hacktivist to fight against the government ... Right now we are attacking the government of Israel / We must unite
— Anonymous (@AnonymousGlobo) August 3, 2014

One of the Anonymous branches, AnonGhost Team, claimed to have hacked the biggest bank system in Israel a fortnight ago, however, on the whole their impact has been more negligible than during Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012.

Largely this is due to government agencies being more proactive in legally pursuing leading hacktivists, not only removing some of the most skilful hackers from the scene, but dissuading others from even trying to make a difference online.

“Anons are more protective of their profiles… governments are far more against truths being exposed and their dirty laundry being aired, more so than ever... Previously anon has been very public with its activities. The case is much different now,” AnonOps, another group within the movement, told Vice.