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3. Israeli Defense Officials: Hundreds of Iranian Cyberattacks Thwarted in Recent Months

Hundreds of Iranian cyberattacks targeting Israelis, including senior government and defense officials, academics, and journalists, were detected and foiled in recent months, the Shin Bet security agency and National Cyber Directorate said Wednesday.

In a joint statement, the Shin Bet and the National Cyber Directorate reported a significant rise in attempts by Iranian intelligence operatives to hack the private Google accounts of Israelis since the 12-day war with the Islamic Republic in June 2025.

According to the statement, the campaign aims to gather personal and professional information that could be used to support terrorist activity, espionage and influence operations, including targeted phishing attacks.

The agencies said the methods involve highly personalized approaches tailored to victims’ fields of interest, as well as impersonating individuals known to the target. Attackers have also sent messages requesting passwords and verification codes for Google, Telegram or WhatsApp accounts under the guise of security checks.

The Shin Bet and Cyber Directorate said they have thwarted hundreds of such attempts in recent months.

In their statement, the security agencies recommended that Israelis boost their cybersecurity measures, including by enabling two-step verification, providing recovery emails, and checking linked accounts.

In January, National Cyber Directorate chief Yossi Karadi warned that Israel must strengthen its preparedness for what he described as a fast-approaching “cyber war.”
Karadi said that in 2025 alone, the directorate handled more than 26,000 cyberattacks — a 55% increase compared with 2024.

Citing the latest Microsoft data, he added that Israel is now the third most targeted country worldwide, accounting for 3.5% of all global cyberattacks over the past year.