Cyber Incident Victim: Asia Times
Date:
Nov 2017
Location:
Israel
Summary
Two news websites, The Times of Israel and Asia Times, were compromised and defaced by suspected Turkish hackers affiliated with the group Akincilar, who replaced homepage content with images of children holding Turkish flags alongside messages supporting Palestine and Gaza. The defacement included a Quranic verse in Turkish, Arabic, and English, while the attackers’ statement emphasized defending Palestinian territories. The incident disrupted normal operations, prompting both outlets to initiate restoration efforts. The attack coincided with a historically significant date related to Israel, as noted by one editor, and mirrored prior actions by the same group against Dutch websites during diplomatic disputes involving Turkey.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On November 2, 2017, the websites of The Times of Israel and Asia Times were compromised and defaced by suspected Turkish hackers affiliated with the group Akincila. The attackers replaced the main pages of both news outlets with images depicting children waving Turkish flags alongside a political message supporting Palestine and Gaza, which stated, 'Even if we remain the only people in the world, we will still defend Gaza and Palestine.' The defacement also included a verse from the Quran in Turkish, Arabic, and English, referencing divine provision and self-inflicted wrongdoing. The incident coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a historical document central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both organizations confirmed unauthorized access to their systems, resulting in temporary service disruptions. The Times of Israel’s editor, David Horovitz, publicly acknowledged the attack, characterizing it as an unfortunate disruption to independent journalism focused on Israel.
Akincila, meaning 'Raiders' in Turkish, claimed responsibility for the cyberattacks, continuing a pattern of politically motivated operations. The group had previously targeted Dutch websites in March 2017 with distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and pro-Turkish messages during diplomatic tensions between Turkey and the Netherlands. Following the November 2 defacements, technical teams from both media outlets initiated restoration efforts to regain control of their websites and resume normal operations. No additional technical details regarding the intrusion methods, duration of downtime, or broader infrastructure impacts were disclosed by the affected organizations. The incident highlighted the use of website defacements as a tool for geopolitical messaging, with direct references to regional conflicts and religious texts amplifying the attackers’ ideological stance.