Cyber Incident Victim: The Times of Israel
Date:
Nov 2017
Location:
Israel
Summary
The Times of Israel and Asia Times websites were hijacked and defaced by suspected Turkish hackers affiliated with the group Akincilar, who replaced the main pages with images of children waving Turkish flags and a pro-Palestine message referencing Gaza. The defacement included a Quranic verse displayed in Turkish, Arabic, and English, alongside accusations that the attackers disrupted independent journalism during a sensitive historical anniversary. Both outlets confirmed the cyberattacks and worked to restore services, noting the group's prior history of targeting Dutch websites with politically motivated disruptions and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks during diplomatic tensions.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 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 hackers suspected of affiliation with the Turkish group Akincilar. The attackers replaced the main pages of both news outlets with images depicting children waving Turkish flags alongside a multilingual political message. A prominent statement declared support for Palestine and Gaza, asserting, "Even if we remain the only people in the world, we will still defend Gaza and Palestine." The defacement included a verse from the Quran displayed in Turkish, Arabic, and English, referencing divine provision and self-inflicted wrongdoing. Akincilar, whose name translates to "Raiders" in Turkish, publicly claimed responsibility for the cyberattacks. The incident temporarily disrupted normal website operations, preventing readers from accessing news content during the hijacking period.
The Times of Israel's editor, David Horovitz, confirmed the attack and noted its occurrence coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, describing the timing as "unfortunate." Horovitz criticized the hackers for targeting independent journalism focused on Israel. Both media organizations acknowledged the security breaches and initiated immediate restoration efforts to resume regular services. Technical teams worked to remove the defaced content and restore standard website functionality. This incident followed Akincilar's prior cyber activities in March 2017, when the group targeted Dutch websites with pro-Turkish messages and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks amid diplomatic disputes between Turkey and the Netherlands. The defacement caused temporary reputational and operational impacts but did not result in reported data breaches or prolonged downtime for either news outlet.