Anti-Israel hackers sabotage news sites in large-scale attack, exploiting plugin for the disabled

A “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine” slogan appeared on major Israeli news sites and the websites of large companies in the country, including McDonald’s.

By World Israel News Staff

An attempt to plant ransomware and otherwise sabotage Israeli web pages over the weekend has apparently failed.

However, the hackers managed to deface dozens of websites including the Ynet news site with the words “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine.”

Sites were reported to have been blocked for about an hour or perhaps more on Saturday night. The hackers – whose identity and location have not yet been determined – are said to have found a breach connected to the Hebrew-language website Nagich, which ironically means “accessible” in Hebrew.

Nagich specializes in the field of ensuring that sites providing services to the public make their sites accessible to the hearing, visually, or otherwise impaired, as required by law. The company provides plugins to modify web pages for the benefit of those who have such impediments.

In addition to Ynet, the business news outlet Calcalist and website of the Makor Rishon newspaper were also affected.

Experts say that the damage could have been far greater, even if temporary. Hackers could have fabricated information, giving new meaning to the term ‘fake news.’

The plugins of large commercial enterprises, including McDonald’s, were also compromised.

Some anti-hacking activists say that at least part of the Israeli economy could have come to a standstill, causing extensive financial damage. These activists say that the “writing on the wall” was already there but that the government and private sector have been slow in reacting to warnings.

The technical team at Nagich is said to have closed the breach about 20 minutes after the company was alerted.

The company says that it is continuing to investigate the details and will learn the lessons of how to further tighten its security measures.