‘Real chance’ Hamas-aligned groups will launch cyberattacks on New Zealand over next month - security firm

Israel is mobilising some 360,000 reservists in response to the Hamas attacks, including “entrepreneurs and young staff". Photo / Oren Ziv, AP

There is a “real chance” other ideologically-motivated groups will target local organisations over the next month in response to the New Zealand government’s condemnation of Hamas, says online security firm CyberCX.

Like the Russia-Ukraine war, the Hamas-Israel war has mobilised significant “hacktivist” activity, the Melbourne-based CyberCX says.

In the two days following Israel’s declaration of war at least 30 different groups have emerged in support for Israel or Hamas, with the overwhelming majority conducting attacks in support for Hamas, according to the security firm.

It sees distributed denial of service attacks, such as the one that recently overwhelmed Auckland Transport’s systems, as a particular threat.

In May 2022, in the early days of the invasion of Ukraine, GCSB director Andrew Hampton warned that pro-Russia hackers could target New Zealand Government agencies and firms. The spy agency has been asked for comment on risks related to the Israel-Hamas war.

There is a big crossover between pro-Russia and pro-Hamas hackers, CyberCX says.

Pro-Russia groups, Killnet and Usersec, were targeting Israeli financial services and energy and utilities organisations, the firm says. In countries like Australia and New Zealand that have offered diplomatic support to Israel, it sees potential attacks on financial services, energy and utilities, government, higher education, healthcare, media and airport targets.

Huge impact on Israeli startup scene

Israel is mobilising some 360,000 reservists in response to the Hamas attacks, including “entrepreneurs and young staff,” according to a New York Times report.

Start-ups in particular are likely to see their staff called up, given how young many of their workers are, the Times says.

That may disrupt the tech sector, which accounts for roughly one-fifth of the Israeli economy, the paper says.

Many Israeli startups work in the intelligence or defence sectors.

Last year, documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act revealed that MBIE Intelligence Unit (MIU), which is part of Immigration New Zealand, has been using Cobwebs Technologies, a firm run by Israeli ex-spies and military commanders, since 2019.

Cobwebs’ software scours social media for potential threats.

A delegation of 20 NZ business leaders yesterday and investors postponed a 10-day trip to Israel next month but hopes there will still be ways to partner with and learn from businesses in the region next year.

The group, including unnamed high net-worth individuals, organised by the Auckland Business Chamber, was set to visit companies Google and Microsoft, as well as start-ups in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, cities about 70km from the now war-stricken Gaza.

“When civilians die, whatever side they’re on, it’s just an awful, big-scale tragedy,” chamber chief executive Simon Bridges told the Herald.

The trip was scheduled to begin on November 14 and has been postponed to May 2024.

Musk tangles with EU politician over Israel-Hamas conflict

Elsewhere in the tech sector, X owner Elon Musk has tangled with a European Union politician.

Misinformation around the Israel-Palestinian conflict sweeping across Musk’s social media platform has prompted fresh scrutiny of the social media platform from European regulators and new concern from global advertisers, according to a Financial Times report.

The paper says doctored posts - including one that shows war violence actually taken from a video game - have garnered millions of views on X.

In a letter addressed to Musk on Wednesday NZT, EU commissioner Thierry Breton wrote that the European Commission had “indications” that the platform was “being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation” in the wake of Hamas’ attacks against Israel.

Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports.

Please list the violations you allude to on 𝕏, so that that the public can see them.

Merci beaucoup.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 10, 2023

In response, Musk wrote on X: “Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports. Please list the violations you allude to on X, so that that [sic] the public can see them. Merci beaucoup.”

Breton replied: “You are well aware of your users’ - and authorities’- reports on fake content and glorification of violence. Up to you to demonstrate that you walk the talk.”

A New York Times report says Hamas has uploaded violent videos to X and other platforms with limited moderation.

Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.