Hacktivist attacks surge in Iran–Israel tensions
Experts say geopolitical hacktivism now poses serious risks to national infrastructure, calling for coordinated strategic cyber defences.
The Iran–Israel conflict has now expanded into cyberspace, with rival hacker groups launching waves of politically driven attacks.
Following Israel’s military operation against Iran, pro-Israeli hackers known as ‘Predatory Sparrow‘ struck Iran’s Sepah Bank, deleting data and causing significant service disruption.
A day later, the same group targeted Nobitex, Iran’s largest crypto exchange, stealing and destroying over $90 million in assets.
Cyber attacks intensified in the days before and after Israeli strikes. According to NSFOCUS, cyberattacks on Iran peaked three days before the military operation, suggesting pre-attack reconnaissance.
In retaliation, pro-Iranian hackers escalated attacks on Israel on 16 June, focusing on government systems, aerospace, and education.
While attacks on Iran have been fewer, Israeli systems have faced over 1,300 attacks in 2025 alone, with 37% of all global hacktivist activity aimed at Israel since the conflict began.
However, analysts note these attacks have been high in volume but limited in impact. Their malware tactics involve evading antivirus software, deleting data, and turning off recovery systems.
NSFOCUS warns that geopolitical tensions are turning hacktivist groups into informal cyber proxies. Though not formally state-backed, these loosely organised actors align closely with national interests.
As traditional defences lag, cybersecurity experts argue that national infrastructure must adopt more strategic, coordinated defence measures instead of fragmented responses, especially during crises and conflicts.
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