Digital warfare ‘has reached every home in Israel’ says cyber safety report

Fraud and online scams comprised 17.6% of total helpline reports, followed by cases of sexual harassment at 11.5%.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

The Israeli Internet Association reported a sharp rise in cyber incidents targeting Israeli citizens in its annual report, released on Monday.

The report, based on the activities of the Association’s Safe Internet Helpline, noted unprecedented levels of cyberattacks, fraud and breached social media accounts.

“The war in the digital arena and on the networks has reached every home in Israel,” the report said.

Data from the report showed that 45% of all calls to the helpline this year concerned cyber-related issues, a significant increase from 36% last year. Among the most frequent reports were incidents involving hacking into social media accounts, which accounted for 27% of all calls.

A notable shift has occurred in the platforms most frequently reported for fraud and cyberattacks. For the first time, WhatsApp has taken the top spot, with 21.7% of complaints directed at the messaging platform.

Facebook, which previously held the leading position, followed closely with 19% of complaints. Instagram ranked third with 15.6% of reports.

Complaints related to Telegram have also increased sharply, reaching 4.1% of total reports.

In the Arab sector, TikTok has emerged as a major concern, with 15% of complaints from that community directed at the platform.

The helpline recorded approximately 1,100 calls related to hacking and account takeovers this year, representing a 20% increase compared to the previous year.

Fraud and online scams comprised 17.6% of total reports, followed by cases of sexual harassment at 11.5%. Impersonation and privacy violations accounted for 10.9% of complaints, while reports of false and misleading content about the war made up 10.6%.

The war has played a role in the escalation of cyber threats, with digital attacks and harassment becoming more prevalent across various online platforms.

The Israeli Internet Association has taken steps to combat harmful online content by submitting hundreds of removal requests to digital platforms.

Facebook received the highest number of requests, with 322 submissions, and responded positively to 98% of them. TikTok, which received 137 requests, removed 95% of the reported content.

The association has successfully facilitated the removal of offensive content in 94% of all cases reported by users.

“This is further evidence that the war has reached the doorsteps of all citizens of the country through the digital arena,” said Edan Ring, the Association’s Vice President of community and social affairs.

“Attempts to attack and harass citizens on the cyber front have grown by tens of percent in the past year.

The Israeli Internet Association has succeeded in removing offensive content on the leading platforms in 94% of the requests and continues to help citizens report and remove offensive content.

But the first line of defense against attacks must be the citizens themselves – by increasing protective measures such as two-step verification and passwords, reporting directly to the platforms and the helpline, and increasing vigilance and caution in cyberspace as well,” Ring added.