An Israeli payment company, HYP, was targeted in a cyber attack, disrupting services for many customers who were unable to use their bank cards at shopping and gas stations terminals for several hours.
According to reports from Israeli media, a hacker group claiming association with Iran took responsibility for the attack, although no evidence was provided to support their claim. The attack, in the form of a DDOS, was directed at HYP, a service provider utilized by several Israeli organizations such as the Maccabi Health Fund, Gett taxi service, Wolt food platform, RAV-KAV Online, and Hop-On public transport.
HYP confirmed that the Credit Guard unit was specifically targeted in the attack, but they managed to neutralize the threat and restore normal service operations. Additionally, the cyber attack impacted the popular BIT digital payment application, owned by Bank Hapoalim, causing disruptions for users.
The identity and motives of the attackers in both incidents remain unknown, highlighting an escalating trend of cyber attacks on Israel’s critical infrastructure. In a separate incident, the Handala Hack hacker group targeted former senior Israeli officials in September, exposing their confidential data publicly. Victims of this attack included former Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Defense Army Gabriel Ashkenazi and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
Notably, in late September, Israel intercepted communications at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri Airport control tower, preventing an Iranian plane from landing, leading the aircraft to return to Tehran.