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The Economic Times
The Economic Times

Iran cyberattacks on Israel surged in 2026, Israeli cyber chief says

The number of Iranian cyberattacks against Israel ​has shot up ​since the launch of the U.S.-Israeli ​offensive against Iran this year, a senior Israeli security official was quoted as saying on Monday.

Yossi Karadi, Director General ‌of Israel's ⁠National ⁠Cyber Directorate, told German newspaper Die Welt that in ​June 2025 during Israeli military operations against Iran, Israel's authorities ​registered around 1,600 hostile cyber incidents.

During the same month in 2026, the number had jumped to ​some 4,800 incidents, he told ⁠the paper.

"Some ‌groups are very skilled," Karadi said, ​according ​to the German text of the interview. "We ⁠can handle them, but we have to ​take them seriously. Unlike in the ​kinetic realm, there's no ceasefire in cyberspace."

Karadi said the attacks were directed against systems used by Israel's critical infrastructure, central organisations, small to medium-sized companies and the public, citing law ‌practices and accounting firms as among the smaller ones hit.

"So far - and hopefully it ​stays that ​way - we've ⁠managed to fend off attacks on critical infrastructure," he said.

Companies that were easier to penetrate often ended ​up having their computer systems wiped, he said, without mentioning any names.

Iran typically denies carrying out hacking campaigns against other countries while reporting attacks on itself.

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