Cyberattacks up 20% since October 7 Hamas war, says Shwed

Israel has experienced a 20% increase in cyberattacks since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Check Point CEO Gil Shwed said.

Speaking at The Jerusalem Post’s Israel Summit broadcast event, Shwed said that the government sector has experienced a 50% increase in attacks, more ransomware attacks, and about 20% more “wiper attacks” – when the attacker enters a server and deletes all of its data.

“We are seeing more severe attacks more often,” Shwed said.

When asked who is behind the attacks, he said that Iran and Hezbollah are behind at least 10 types of attacks that Israel has suffered since October 7, although at least 200 hacking groups are targeting Israel, according to Shwed.

Check Point is among Israel’s largest and most well-known cybersecurity companies. Shwed said 97% of its customers sit outside Israel, although it maintains a strong team and infrastructure in the country. Check Point’s main clients are corporate enterprises and governments, so it is accustomed to managing large-scale attacks.

How attacks are shut down

Shwed said that when an attack happens, and Check Point shuts it down, it gathers intelligence to understand who is behind the attack – information it shares with its customers. The company then shows the client what protections must be activated to stop future attacks. In some cases, this can involve installing new or upgraded technology. In other cases, it is making sure existing technology is working correctly.

Since the start of October 7, Check Point has held workshops and forums for Israeli companies to share information, and, in some cases, when the worst attacks have happened, it has sent people on-site to check various systems themselves to ensure the company is protected.

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