Unmasking the Shadow War: Israel and Iran's Cyber Battleground

6 days ago · The 12-day Israel - Iran conflict showed how cyberspace became a front for AI-powered phishing, infrastructure attacks and blackouts, revealing the new face of modern warfare. Israel ’ s civilian cyber defense agency warned that Iran was renewing its efforts to hack into internet-connected cameras for espionage purposes. The Israel – Iran war has moved at a rapid pace in terms of kinetic warfare. What is also a new development is the speed at which this conflict rapidly expanded beyond traditional warfare, evolving into a complex cyber conflict. Both nations—and their proxy or hacktivist groups—are targeting critical infrastructure, finance, healthcare, telecoms, and public trust. While Israel and Iran. In a notable development in the escalating cyber war between Iran and “Israel”, an Iranian attempt to target Unit 8200 , one of the most prominent technical intelligence units in the Israeli military, has been documented. Disinformation and AI-generated media continue to flood the online narrative Cyber conflict threatens regional and global spillover The outbreak of the open conflict between Israel and Iran on June 13, 2025, marked by Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites and Iranian missile salvos in return, has rapidly expanded into cyberspace. Part 2: The Iran - Israel Cyber Standoff - The State's Silent War CloudSEK uncovered a surge in Iran -linked cyberattacks targeting Israel and its allies. Groups like APT42, APT34, MuddyWater, and hacktivist Handala are conducting espionage, data theft, and DDoS attacks. These actors use phishing, credential theft, and stealthy tools to infiltrate sensitive sectors. CloudSEK advises organizations. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War pondered that Israel might have “somehow disrupted Iran’s response by targeting Iran’s ballistic missile launch sites and stockpiles” at the outset, potentially through a mix of air and cyber actions. In response, Israel ’ s military retaliation against Iran ’ s second attack struck a reportedly active and undeclared nuclear weapons facility. But before Iran’s string of military defeats and overt setbacks, came a decades-long covert war by Israel against the regime’s nuclear program.