Pro-Palestinian hacktivists launched hundreds of cyberattacks on Israeli space sector

In the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas War, cyberspace is becoming an increasingly contested frontier in modern conflict, with the space sector emerging as a worrisome target, a study from the Center for Security Studies at the Swiss university ETH Zurich has revealed.

It noted that, since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, 237 cyberattacks have targeted the space sector, with one-third taking place during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran alone.

The study reported that the October 7, 2023, attack “surprised hacktivists globally” and that it took time for them to structure themselves, define goals, build their community, access cyber offensive tools, and launch and consistently claim attacks.

The attacks were not consistent throughout the conflict; nevertheless, 71% were overwhelmingly distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, which crash systems. Others included unauthorized access sales (7%), data leaks (5%), intrusions (3%), data breaches (2%), data sales (1%), and man-in-the-middle attacks (1%). Less than 1% of attacks were ransomware and website defacement.

The attacks also targeted VSATs (used for transmitting and receiving data via satellite), global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers, and Israeli air and sea navigation systems.

No confirmed satellite hacks occurred in orbit, but the operations disrupted networks and targeted 77 organizations, ranging from aerospace and defense companies – such as Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (36 attacks), Elbit Systems (28 attacks), Israel Aerospace Industries (11 attacks), and the Israel Space Agency (11 attacks) to international agencies like NASA (12 attacks) and even Starlink.

Though there were many attacks, their impact remained very limited.

“The identified malicious cyber activities against the space sector had little to no impact on the military operations on the kinetic battlefield,” the study reports.

There was no evidence that Hamas or Israeli state cyber units had directly targeted the space sector, suggesting that the campaign was driven more by symbolic disruption and propaganda than by military necessity.

RESEARCHERS IDENTIFIED 73 distinct threat actors, most of them pro-Palestinian hacktivists, with only one group rallying in support of Israel.

“The two wars influenced each other politically, militarily, and rhetorically, and threat actors active in one arena often engaged in operations relevant to the other.”

It further finds that the peak of malicious activity against the space sector took place during the Israel-Iran War in June. Seventy-two operations were recorded in one month alone, and one-third of all attacks were documented between 2023-2025. The attacks were also slightly more sophisticated, mostly due to Iranian capabilities.

“This surge reflected the activity of pro-Iranian, pro-Palestinian, and state actors, as well as the emergence of new groups,” the study said.

“Also, pro-Palestinian hacktivist groups had time to structure themselves over the past two years, so when the Israel-Iran War started, they were ready to swiftly react and launch massive cyber operations,” it stated.

It also notes that pro-Palestinian threat actors were identified as having formed alliances with pro-Russian threat actors, including some threat actors who have targeted the space sector.

Pro-Palestinian hacktivist groups mirrored aspects of the Russo-Ukrainian playbook, engaging in DDoS campaigns, defacement, and repurposing existing tools and tactics.

In Ukraine, the ViaSat hack of 2022 demonstrated the devastating potential of cyberattacks on satellite infrastructure, crippling communications at a critical moment.

By contrast, the Israel-Hamas War’s cyber operations were less destructive but still significant in their scope and visibility.

Berger explained that “in accordance with the ministry’s strategy, our objective for the coming years is that Israeli space capabilities will be present at every point in the Middle East, collecting intelligence and providing alerts – around the clock and in all weather conditions. Space is a decisive component in ensuring the IDF’s freedom of action.”

He added, “The Israeli satellite constellation was a full partner in all operational activity before, during, and after Operation Rising Lion [with Iran]. Over the 12 days of war, we collected tens of millions of square kilometers of extremely high-quality imagery, day and night. Targets were built in real time, and critical communications were provided with high availability to support strike operations discreetly and without risking our forces.”

Beyond the numbers, the ETH Zurich study points to emerging trends that could shape the future of cyber warfare.

“The fact that so many incidents could be identified through manual open-source research suggests that the actual scale of activity against the space sector is likely considerably larger,” the study said.

Hacktivist groups are increasingly interested in space systems, blending cyber operations with information warfare, and experimenting with fabricated or recycled data leaks. Some are even seeking tools to hack satellites directly, raising concerns about what the next phase of conflict might look like if these ambitions materialize.

For example, future conflicts, such as a confrontation between the United States and China, which are both space and cyber superpowers, would almost certainly include cyber attacks against critical space systems and likely have a major impact on the battlefield.

For Israel, the results of the study are both a warning and a call to action.

While the direct battlefield impact of these cyber campaigns has been limited, the symbolic value of targeting space systems is clear. Satellites represent not only critical infrastructure but also national prestige, making them attractive targets for adversaries seeking visibility and disruption.