'Israel's' credit card system down sparking fears of cyberattack
3 Min Read
Settlers across occupied Palestine have reported difficulties using their credit cards for purchases and payments, as concerns of a cyberattack strike "Israel".
-
A customer uses a Visa credit card to pay for gasoline at a gas station in Mundelein, Ill., Feb. 8, 2024. (AP)
Israelis encountered difficulties using their credit cards for purchases at various stores across occupied Palestine, The Times of Israel reported this morning.
Automated Bank Services, responsible for processing credit transactions in "Israel", is investigating the situation, with some suggesting that a cyberattack may be causing the disruptions.
Since the onset of the war on Gaza, the occupation saw an uptick in cyberattack incidents and continues to risk more. In June, Ronen Bar, the head of the Israeli security agency Shin Bet, confirmed that Tel Aviv was developing the "global cyber iron dome" system in cooperation with several countries to identify "threats" using artificial intelligence (AI), Israeli media reported.
Israeli media had previously reported that the website of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv went out of service, reportedly due to a reported cyber attack.
The Israeli Rotter Net news website also went offline due to a cyber attack launched by the Anonymous Sudan hacker group, while other attacks targeted the Israeli Emergency Alert System application, also known as Red Alert.
Israeli media reported in mid-April that over 60 Israeli websites came under a heavy wave of cyber attacks in just a few days.
Earlier this year, a load of documents, including identity cards, cheques, and personal data, were posted online by the hacking group Anonymous for Justice in Palestine on July 23, noting that the materials came from systems used by the Israeli Security Ministry.
This marked the second time after documents earlier this year of the military and justice ministries were hacked and made public.
Hacker group "Anonymous" also issued a warning to "Israel" to stop its war on Gaza within 48 hours, or else it will publish confidential information and sensitive files in its possession of the Security Ministry, alongside data from the "Justice Ministry" from an earlier occurrence.
Back in April this year, NET Hunter, a newly-established cyber group, claimed it hacked into the Israeli Ministry of Security demanding the release of all Palestinian detainees or else the data obtained by them "will be sold to the pro-Palestinian states and part of them will be disclosed for the people of the world."
Before posting a video showing the hack and some of the documents obtained, the group said, "To support Palestine, court executors have the permission to negotiate over freedom of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the information," followed by a picture showing "their decision".
They said at the time that 500 Palestinian detainees must be freed, threatening, if not, to disclose all the documents obtained through the hack, exposing countries that claim to advocate human rights slogans, classified documents of the Israeli Ministry of Security, documents of cooperation agreement of states with "Israel", and data of senior Israeli officers and IOF manpower, alongside other important information.
