Related	O
news	O

	O
cyberscoop.com/israel-cyberattacks-water-iran-yigal-unna/	O

	O
May	B-DATE
28	I-DATE
,	I-DATE
2020	I-DATE


	O
government	B-SECTOR


	O
Israeli	O
official	O
confirms	O
attempted	O
cyberattack	O
on	O
water	O
systems	O

	O
Israeli	O
cyber	O
chief	O
Yigal	O
Unna	O
(	O
ICT	O
)	O
.	O

	O
Written	O
by	O
Sean	O
Lyngaas	O

	O
May	B-DATE
28	I-DATE
,	I-DATE
2020	I-DATE
|	O
CYBERSCOOP	B-ORGANIZATION

	O
Israel	B-GEO_LOCATION
last	O
month	O
thwarted	O
a	O
cyberattack	O
on	O
control	O
systems	O
at	O
water	B-SECTOR
facilities	I-SECTOR
,	O
a	O

	O
senior	O
government	B-SECTOR
official	O
said	O
Thursday	O
while	O
warning	O
of	O
the	O
dangers	O
of	O
escalating	O
conflicts	O

	O
in	O
cyberspace	O
.	O

	O
The	O
“	O
synchronized	O
and	O
organized	O
attack	O
”	O
on	O
civilian	O
infrastructure	O
was	O
aimed	O
at	O
disrupting	O

	O
the	O
industrial	O
computers	O
that	O
underpin	O
Israeli	O
water	B-SECTOR
facilities	I-SECTOR
,	O
said	O
Yigal	O
Unna	O
,	O
head	O
of	O
Israel	B-GEO_LOCATION
’s	O

	O
National	B-ORGANIZATION
Cyber	I-ORGANIZATION
Directorate	I-ORGANIZATION
,	O
in	O
the	O
most	O
extensive	O
public	O
comments	O
from	O
an	O
Israeli	O
official	O
yet	O

	O
on	O
the	O
incident	O
.	O
Damage	O
could	O
have	O
been	O
done	O
to	O
those	O
systems	O
if	O
Israeli	O
authorities	O
had	O
n’t	O

	O
foiled	O
the	O
attack	O
,	O
Unna	O
claimed	O
.	O

	O
“	O
We	O
’re	O
now	O
in	O
the	O
middle	O
of	O
preparing	O
for	O
the	O
next	O
phase	O
[	O
of	O
attacks	O
]	O
to	O
come	O
—	O
because	O
it	O

	O
will	O
come	O
eventually	O
,	O
”	O
he	O
said	O
in	O
a	O
speech	O
streamed	O
at	O
the	O
CybertechLive	O
Asia	O
conference	O
.	O

	O
1/2	O


	O
Public	O
details	O
on	O
the	O
attack	O
are	O
scarce	O
,	O
as	O
Israeli	O
officials	O
have	O
not	O
released	O
forensic	O
data	O
in	O

	O
connection	O
with	O
the	O
incident	O
.	O
The	O
Israeli	O
cyber	O
directorate	O
issued	O
a	O
terse	O
statement	O
in	O
late	O

	O
April	O
about	O
attempted	O
breaches	O
of	O
water	O
pumping	O
stations	O
and	O
treatment	O
plants	O
,	O
and	O
urged	O

	O
companies	O
in	O
the	O
sector	O
to	O
take	O
defensive	O
measures	O
.	O

	O
Multiple	O
media	O
reports	O
blamed	O
Iran	B-THREAT_ACTOR
for	O
the	O
malicious	O
activity	O
.	O
(	O
CyberScoop	B-ORGANIZATION
could	O
not	O

	O
independently	O
confirm	O
this	O
attribution	O
.	O
)	O
The	O
Iranian	O
government	B-SECTOR
has	O
denied	O
involvement	O
.	O

	O
Unna	O
acknowledged	O
the	O
suggestions	O
,	O
but	O
did	O
not	O
specifically	O
blame	O
Iran	B-THREAT_ACTOR
.	O

	O
“	O
We	O
are	O
not	O
attributing	O
or	O
saying	O
anything	O
officially	O
about	O
who	O
’s	O
behind	O
it	O
,	O
”	O
he	O
said	O
.	O
“	O
But	O
it	O
’s	O

	O
not	O
a	O
gang	O
,	O
it	O
’s	O
not	O
a	O
cybercrime	O
group	O
.	O
They	O
gain	O
nothing	O
from	O
it	O
.	O
”	O

	O
In	O
retaliation	O
,	O
Israeli	B-THREAT_ACTOR
hackers	I-THREAT_ACTOR
breached	O
computers	O
at	O
an	O
Iranian	O
shipping	O
port	O
in	O
early	O

	O
May	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
a	O
Washington	B-ORGANIZATION
Post	I-ORGANIZATION
report	O
.	O

	O
After	O
mentioning	O
that	O
report	O
,	O
Unna	O
suggested	O
that	O
Israel	B-GEO_LOCATION
may	O
have	O
hit	O
back	O
at	O
Iran	B-THREAT_ACTOR
for	O
the	O

	O
cyberattack	O
.	O
“	O
Maybe	O
and	O
maybe	O
not	O
,	O
”	O
he	O
said	O
.	O
“	O
It	O
seems	O
like	O
there	O
are	O
new	O
rules	O
of	O

	O
engagement	O
,	O
rules	O
of	O
war	O
”	O
in	O
cyberspace	O
.	O

	O
Galina	O
Antova	O
,	O
co	O
-	O
founder	O
of	O
industrial	O
cybersecurity	O
company	O
Claroty	B-ORGANIZATION
,	O
said	O
the	O

	O
attempted	O
cyberattack	O
on	O
Israeli	O
water	O
systems	O
“	O
highlights	O
that	O
while	O
water	O
infrastructure	O

	O
typically	O
eludes	O
the	O
public	O
’s	O
attention	O
as	O
a	O
major	O
source	O
of	O
cyber	O
risk	O
,	O
it	O
remains	O
susceptible	O

	O
to	O
both	O
targeted	O
and	O
non	O
-	O
targeted	O
threats	O
.	O
”	O

	O
Israel	B-GEO_LOCATION
and	O
Iran	B-THREAT_ACTOR
—	O
two	O
bitter	O
enemies	O
—	O
have	O
long	O
conducted	O
cyber	O
-	O
operations	O
against	O
each	O

	O
other	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
broader	O
regional	O
conflict	O
.	O
More	O
than	O
a	O
decade	O
ago	O
,	O
suspected	O
U.S.	O
and	O

	O
Israeli	O
intelligence	O
operatives	O
used	O
the	O
Stuxnet	B-EXPLOIT_NAME
computer	O
worm	O
to	O
sabotage	O
centrifuges	O
at	O
an	O

	O
Iranian	O
nuclear	O
facility	O
.	O

	O
The	O
coronavirus	O
pandemic	O
has	O
reaffirmed	O
that	O
hackers	O
are	O
unwilling	O
to	O
refrain	O
from	O
attacking	O

	O
critical	O
infrastructure	O
,	O
Unna	O
said	O
.	O

	O
Red	O
lines	O
will	O
continue	O
to	O
be	O
crossed	O
,	O
he	O
said	O
,	O
referring	O
to	O
recent	O
cyberattacks	O
on	O
the	O
Czech	O

	O
health	O
care	O
sector	O
.	O
“	O
Cyber	O
winter	O
is	O
coming	O
and	O
coming	O
faster	O
than	O
even	O
I	O
suspected	O
.	O
”	O


	O
2/2	O