How to defend yourself against Hamas’s cyberwarfare

While the conflict between Israeli forces and the Hamas terrorist organization rages on, the fourth frontier of warfare, the cyber frontier, has emerged as a dominant and active battleground. In a conversation with The Jerusalem Post, Dr. Amir Gefen, a cyber-safety researcher at Gordon Academic College, highlighted several critical strategies and advice for defending against the growing threats in cyberspace.

The foremost challenge posed by this new form of warfare is that, unlike traditional conflicts, there is no clear distinction between soldiers on the frontlines and civilians back at home. “From the cyber perspective, we are all on the frontline,” Gefen said, noting that while there are state-level threats that governments concern themselves with, “There are threats that target families and households – the people at home and their children.”

Limit children’s exposure to psychological warfare

Gefen used the term “cyber cancer” to describe the harmful impact of digital threats on individuals, particularly children. Exposure to graphic content, whether real or fabricated, is a common ploy implemented in psychological cyber warfare, causing anxiety, depression, and trauma.

To combat this menace, he emphasizes the need for parents to be vigilant, as the proliferation of smartphones among children in Israel, even at a very young age, presents a significant concern. Parents are urged to be aware of the content their children are exposed to and, where possible, remove applications that continually display distressing videos – especially during times of increased tension.

“The hope is that adults have the resilience and ethical resources to deal with it, though that’s not always the case,” he said. “But I think that the real problem is that there are young children with smartphones – we’re talking about first grade, second grade – with full access to TikTok and WhatsApp, et cetera. And they are being exposed to that, and their parents may not be aware of what they’re seeing. Those children are developing post traumatic syndromes based on that.”

Hamas is in your WhatsApp groups

Hamas and other nefarious actors actively gather intelligence through various means, including monitoring WhatsApp groups and intercepting messages. “We should assume that at this point the enemy holds a large number of cell phones that they’ve taken from [dead] soldiers or from civilians who are being held captive, and are using those to monitor everything that’s happening in our WhatsApp groups,” Gefen warned. “We need to take 30 seconds to think before we post anything, and keep in mind that the enemy is exposed to this information.”

“So specifically, if you’re talking about soldiers – wherever they are located, when they are going to get to the Gaza Strip, what equipment they’re missing – we need to take into account that everything that we write there could endanger their lives,” he said.

Secure your devices

Gefen pointed out that many of the devices that we use daily could lead to dangerous information leaks, offering the example of home security cameras.

“In many homes, there are security cameras in order to protect against pests and things like that. Most of those cameras come with a default password, which is usually 1234, or 1111. And most people don’t take the time to change that password,” he explained. “The result is that the enemy can have eyes on our streets, on our neighborhoods, or on our facilities. But with only two minutes of attention, you can just go into your camera settings, and change your password.”

On that note, Gefen encouraged the public to enable two-factor authentication on all important accounts, including bank accounts, email accounts, and healthcare accounts. This additional layer of security helps prevent unauthorized access. Crucially, he advises against sharing the six-digit codes sent via SMS with anyone.

Don't click phishy links

Stressing that phishing attacks are on the rise, Gefen advised people to avoid clicking on links sent via email or text. Instead, it’s safer to access websites from bookmarked links in your browser. This practice ensures that you’re visiting legitimate sites and not falling victim to phishing scams.

He also recommended downloading applications only from legitimate sources, such as the Apple App Store or Google Play. Additionally, keeping your operating system up-to-date is essential, as these updates often include critical security patches.

Who to call if you get cyber attacked

If you are the victim of a cyber attack, Gefen recommended the first course of action be to contact the Israel National Cyber Directorate hotline by dialing 119.

“The good news is that while there is a long list of severe cyber threats,” Gefen said, “we can protect against them with a little bit of awareness and a little bit of activity.”