January 25, 2024 at 10:47AM
Turkish hacktivists targeted Israeli movie theaters with political messages condemning the war in Gaza. The attack, executed by the group MeshSec, involved projecting anti-Israeli messages onto digital billboards. The ease of the hack prompted swift removal by the affected theater. This incident reflects a growing trend of politically motivated cyberattacks in Israel’s public spaces.
From the meeting notes, it is evident that the Turkish hacktivist group MeshSec conducted a cyber attack on Lev Cinemas in Tel Aviv, Israel. The attack involved projecting politically charged messages onto the digital signage in the movie theater. The messages contained derogatory and threatening remarks directed at the Jewish community and also made explicit references to the conflict in Gaza.
The attack, which took advantage of vulnerabilities in the theater’s management panel, is part of a larger trend of hacktivist activities targeting public spaces in Israel. These activities are not limited to digital billboards, as cyber attackers have also hacked into water pump control panels to display anti-Israeli messages.
The simplicity of the attack was matched by the simplicity of the fix, as the cinema’s CEO mentioned that the compromised system was quickly addressed and the unauthorized messages removed.
This incident highlights the growing use of cyber attacks as a tool for psychological warfare, aiming to induce fear and spread political messaging to civilians. Understanding and addressing these vulnerabilities will be crucial in preventing and mitigating future cyber intrusions in public and private spaces in Israel.