Levant News – while Israel has not explicitly declared war on the hacker group Anonymous, the group’s activities in attacking Israeli websites has led to them being declared terrorists by the Israeli government. While the government has responded effectively to these attacks and says that essential websites are operating, several of the Anonymous group activities have cause embarrassment, to say the least.
As I write, the Israeli president’s official website, www.president.gov.il, and the blog of the country’s Defense Force, www.idfblog.com, are offline. Anonymous have allegedly also posted the personal details of 5000 Israeli officials online. Anonymous are also claiming to have ‘downed or erased the databases of nearly 700 Israeli private and public websites, including that of the Bank of Jerusalem finance house.’ While this will be temporarily inconvenient, it should not take long before backups are in place. Unfortunately, as was seen in the case of the ‘computer glitch’ which hit Nat West and the Bank of Scotland, recovery can take several days.
There is no doubt in my mind that Anonymous will now be targeted by Israeli security forces, but will this finish them or elevate them to celebrity status, attracting new supporters to a loose linked organisation who would be difficult identify. Or would the element of fear that would surround this explicit targeting make supporters think twice when their actions could put them directly in the Israeli firing line. As the next few weeks unfold, whichever way Anonymous moves could reveal whether some members of the group will drag it towards full blown ‘terrorism’ with all the implications that brings with it.
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