Al-Monitor | Mordechai Goldman: The April cyberattack on Israels water system and a May attack on an Iranian port might be the opening salvoes of a cyber war between Israel and Iran.
By early morning on Thursday, April 23, crews at Israeli water facilities realized that something unusual was going on. According to reports, one pump began operating non-stop. At another facility, something seemed to have taken over the operating system, and the technicians couldnt access its regulating interface. A third station reported irregularities resulting from unplanned changes to the dataflow.
About an hour later, Israels National Cyber Directorate released an unusual announcement. It admitted that the facilities were under attack and asked companies involved in the water and energy sectors to immediately change internet passwords to access the control system, limit internet connections and verify that the most up-to-date version of the regulatory system is installed.
The Security Cabinet met for a special session on May 7, with each participating minister required to sign a confidentiality form. Reports claim that the meeting discussed possible responses to the cyberattack, which was allegedly attributed to Iran.