Israel's cyber defences challenged as Russian hackers breach government site

The Russian hacker group Killnet said it hacked into Israeli government systems after an attack by Hamas militants. They claimed to have taken down Israel's main government website, gov.il, sharing a screenshot as proof.

There was a message from Killnet representative claiming,

Israeli government, you are responsible for this bloodshed. You supported the terrorist regime of Ukraine back in 2022. You have betrayed Russia

Killnet representative

The event occurred on the evening of 8 October, but by 9 October, the website was backed up. Killnet is a Russian hacker group that often claims responsibility for attacking government websites, especially in Ukraine, and supports the Kremlin (Russian Government).

In another development, the Red Cross has issued rules for civilian hackers in times of war. The gov.il website, targeted by Russian hackers, is what regular Israeli citizens access for important public services.

International Committee of the Red Cross issues guidelines

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which is in charge of overseeing warfare regulations, recently issued guidelines for non-military hackers involved in conflicts, marking their first such publication.

It issued guidelines for cyber warfare, emphasising not targeting civilian objects, avoiding indiscriminate malware, minimising civilian impact in military operations, refraining from attacking medical and humanitarian facilities, and not threatening or inciting violence against civilians or international humanitarian law violations. Lastly, the guidelines say to follow these rules, even if the enemy doesn't.