Anonymous targets Israel, JPost repels hackers

"Concerted and pointed attempt to bring down the JPost website," part of cyber attack which also targets Yad Vashem site.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Anonymous hackers logo_311 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Anonymous hackers logo_311
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
A limited cyber attack was launched on Israeli websites on Sunday, as hackers affiliated with the Anonymous group succeeded in leaking databases of small websites but failed to cause significant disruption. Major government websites remained functional throughout the day.
The Avnet information security company, which set up a situation room to monitor the attack throughout Sunday, said the small websites that were hacked had not taken basic security measures.
It added that several distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks were launched on government websites, but that the sites withstood the attempts to flood their servers.
The attackers, who struck on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, particularly targeted the website of Yad Vashem with “a fairly massive attack,” Ronni Becher, head of the cyber attack section at Avnet, said.
Nevertheless, Yad Vashem’s website remained online.
“It seems that these are simply quite basic attacks, that are not unusual in their complexity...and which suit amateur children,” he added.
The Jerusalem Post, too, successfully managed to thwart attempts Sunday to hack its website. “There was a concerted and pointed attempt to bring down the JPost website, in particular the blogs sections, through distributed denial of service,” said Post chief technical officer Yossi Aviv.
“I don’t want to go into the specifics of how we combated this attack, but suffice it to say, we were successful in neutralizing the threat. We have been taking all measures to protect the site since last week, in advance of the anticipated attacks by Anonymous.
“The Jerusalem Post places great importance on the smooth running of the website, with its hundreds of thousands of visitors every day from every corner of the world,” Aviv added. noting that hackers published lists containing hacked sites and Facebook accounts.
DDOS attacks target a website’s servers, flooding them with false requests for access, thereby making it impossible for surfers to access a particular site. They are distinct from attacks in which hackers gain access to servers, allowing them to steal content or alter the affected website.
Anonymous had announced it would strike at Israeli websites, claiming that Israel had attempted to curb Internet access for Palestinians. The attacks, Anonymous said in a video announcement released at the end of March, were an act of solidarity with the Palestinians.