The computers behind Israel’s power grid were shut down by a cyberattack in late January, which Israel Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz described as a “severe” attack.
“We had to paralyze many of the computers of the Israeli Electricity Authority,” Steinitz said during a speech at the Cybertech Conference in Tel Aviv in wake of the attack.
“We are handling the situation and I hope that soon, this very serious event will be over … but as of now, computer systems are still not working as they should,” he added.
Officials did not attest as to who was responsible for the ordeal, nor did they clarify the kind of cyber weapon used in the attack, according to The Times of Israel. However, a spokesperson for Israel’s electricity authority told Israeli newspaper Haaretz that “we are going to solve this problem in the coming hours.”
One of the most severe cyber attacks in history
The recent attack is unique because Israel is one of the world’s foremost leaders in cyber security. The attack occurred during a week when night temperatures were close to freezing. Israel Electric Corporation claimed their was a demand of 12,610 megawatts as temperatures fell below freezing levels that evening.
This is the second major cyberattack on Israel’s electrical grid in recent memory. On December 23, a malicious piece of malware, appropriately named Black Energy, plunged half of the homes in Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk area into darkness. Some grid experts suspect the attack was launched by Russian hackers.
“I can tell you that the virus was identified and software was activated to neutralize it,” Steinitz said. “This is a fresh example of what we need to be prepared to face at any time,” he added after mentioning that the National Cyber Bureau responded to the cyberattack and that it was under control.
Israel has been victim of a slew of major cyberattacks within the last two years, noted The Times of Israel. Back in April, for instance, the international hacker group Anonymous launched an “Electronic Holocaust” on Israel. The hackers succeeded in taking down a litter of Israel websites and acquired access to emails.
Hackers trump second best cyber security abilities in the world
Back in July, Israel’s National Cyber Authority cautioned that a major cyber attack was forthcoming. Israeli officials believe the hackers behind past cyberattacks were involved with the terrorist group Hezbollah and its allies in Israel.
There have been conflicting reports about whether the recent cyber attack triggered blackouts. The incident caused Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to issue an ominous notification:
“The greatest curse that we face is that in the Internet of Everything, everything can be penetrated,” Netanyahu said. “Everything can be sabotaged. Everything can be subverted. And when I say everything, I mean everything.”
The cyberattack took place during a CyberTech 2016 Conference. It attracted state leaders, representatives of multinational businesses, entrepreneurs and investors in the field of cyber security. It was anticipated to be the largest exhibition for cyber technologies outside of the United States.
Isreal’s cyber security capabilities are regarded as the second best in the world, superseded by the United States. Israel’s cyber security efforts have considerably grown in the last few years. They earned $6 billion from cyber security exports in 2014, which was twice the amount earned in 2013. If hackers can now take down the second largest power grid in the world, whose to say the United States isn’t next?
Sources include:
(2) JPost.com
(3) DailyCaller.com
