A government spokesman said the sites were down because of a server malfunction Israeli government websites were down on Sunday, two days after the hacker group Anonymous had threatened to attack the government for its maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip.Israel has however said that the websites were down because of a server malfunction.The English websites of the Mossad intelligence service, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were still down late Sunday. The website of Mossad was under maintenance, while that of IDF was not accessible. The website of the Israel Security Agency, known as Shabak or Shin Bet, was also under maintenance.“Israeli government websites crashed today because of a server malfunction, not as a result of a cyber attack,” said Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman in the Israel Prime Minister’s Office, in a Twitter message on Sunday. Several Israeli government websites, including those of the IDF, Mossad and the Shin Bet internal security service were down on Sunday, according to reports in some newspapers in Israeli.In a message on YouTube on Friday, Anonymous criticized the Israeli Navy’s interception and boarding on Friday in international waters of two vessels – one Irish and the other Canadian – which were not carrying any weapons,. “As the world has witnessed today your Navy soldiers boarded the vessels which were en-route to the Gaza Strip, attempting to break the illegal maritime security blockade placed by you to hurt the people of Gaza in the name of counter terrorism,” Anonymous said in what it described as an open letter to the government of Israel. Anonymous threatened to strike back again and again, if Israel continues blocking humanitarian vessels to Gaza. Anonymous MMV, the group that posted the video, has not taken credit so far for bringing down the websites in Israel. Related content feature Top cybersecurity M&A deals for 2023 Fears of recession, rising interest rates, mass tech layoffs, and conservative spending trends are likely to make dealmakers cautious, but an ever-increasing need to defend against bigger and faster attacks will likely keep M&A activity steady in By CSO Staff Sep 22, 2023 24 mins Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and Acquisitions brandpost Unmasking ransomware threat clusters: Why it matters to defenders Similar patterns of behavior among ransomware treat groups can help security teams better understand and prepare for attacks By Joan Goodchild Sep 21, 2023 3 mins Cybercrime news analysis China’s offensive cyber operations support “soft power” agenda in Africa Researchers track Chinese cyber espionage intrusions targeting African industrial sectors. By Michael Hill Sep 21, 2023 5 mins Advanced Persistent Threats Cyberattacks Critical Infrastructure brandpost Proactive OT security requires visibility + prevention You cannot protect your operation by simply watching and waiting. It is essential to have a defense-in-depth approach. By Austen Byers Sep 21, 2023 4 mins Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe