The Iranian hacker group Handala continues its attempts to carry out cyberattacks in Israel. Early Wednesday morning, the group managed to breach the website of the Academy of the Hebrew Language and posted the message in English: “No need to learn Hebrew anymore. You won't need it much longer."
The move follows the group’s pattern of activity since the start of the fighting: combining targeted cyberattacks with efforts to generate public and psychological impact. As previously reported, the group — identified with propaganda campaigns and acts of website defacement — often breaks into systems with a public profile and publishes political messages alongside claims that it has obtained sensitive information. Those claims, it should be noted, do not always stand up to scrutiny.
In response, the Academy of the Hebrew Language said: “This morning the website of the Academy of the Hebrew Language was breached, and a message was posted claiming that soon there will no longer be any need to learn Hebrew. Even the hackers who broke into the site understand that the Hebrew language is an inseparable part of the Zionist movement and a key component of Israeli culture, life and identity. The incident is being handled and we are working to restore the site to normal operation as soon as possible.”
As of this writing, the academy’s website appears to be beginning to return to normal operation.