The air raid sirens that blared across parts of Jerusalem and the resort city of Eilat Sunday were most likely the result of a cyberattack, the Israel National Cyber Directorate said.
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The Cyber Directorate said in a statement that the strongest indicator that the sirens were the result of a hack rather than a malfunction was the fact that the systems that were activated were municipal – not the ones controlled by the IDF's Home Front Command.
"Local authorities have been instructed to take preventative measures against the threat," the statement said.
The INCD said that the source of the attack is unclear at this time, adding that it was investigating whether Iranian hackers were behind the alleged attack.
"It seems that the attack didn't compromise any infrastructure defined as critical, but at the same time, it again became clear how compromising relatively simple civilian systems disrupts Israeli citizens' lives," CEO of Israel Internet Association Yoram Hacohen told Israel Hayom.
He further noted that there is "a significant gap between the excellent protection the state offers what it defines as critical infrastructure and the lacking protection of other civilian infrastructure.
"This isn't the first attack to illustrate this gap. We have to increase awareness and employ better cyber-defenses across the board."
Deputy Economy and Industry Minister Yair Golan touched on the issue in an interview with Army Radio, saying, "There have been many attempts by the Iranians to harm Israel using cyber [measures] and we take it seriously."
Golan, a retired major general who served as deputy chief of staff, added that the fact the civilian warning systems were hacked was "very troubling. If there's a breach it needs to be taken care of immediately."
Omree Wechsler, a senior researcher at the Blavantnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center, said that the hacks targeted public address systems in Jerusalem and Eilat.
"As a clear Israeli symbol, it shows that this is an opportunistic attack and not a sophisticated and well-planned attack launched years ago − the hackers attacked where they found loopholes. As many cyberattacks in the world are focused on financial or espionage targets, the Iranian activity against Israel is in accordance with the pattern of causing damage or creating panic. Such attacks are common and are part of a daily routine that includes thousands of attempts to hack into any system or server whose damage would cause media coverage, in contrast to the espionage activity that also takes place every day," Wechsler said.
Last week, Israeli cybersecurity giant Check Point uncovered an extensive phishing scheme by Iranian hackers seeking to compromise former high-ranking Israeli officials, including former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, retired Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin, and a former US ambassador to Israel.
In March, a massive cyberattack downed most Israeli government websites but swift action by the National Cyber Directorate managed to fend it off within minutes.
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