Israeli cyber authority says it stopped ‘major’ attack this week

The Prime Minister’s Office says Israel’s National Cyber Authority has thwarted a “major” attack on businesses and public institutions this week.

“In recent days, the National Cyber Authority has collected many testimonies about a planned cyber attack,” the statement says. “In response, the authority carried out an investigation and discovered the plan of the attack.”

According to the PMO, the hackers disguised themselves as a legitimate organization and sent emails to “120 organizations, government offices, public institutions and private individuals” in an attempt to infiltrate their networks.

The announcement comes days after the body faced harsh criticism from some of the country’s top security officials.

— Raoul Wootliff