Half of Israelis were exposed to cyberattacks over the past year, but only about a third feel they know how to respond to them, according to a survey published Thursday by the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD).
The Public Cyber Awareness and Resilience Survey was conducted by the Geocartography Institute in October 2026 on behalf of the directorate, among 507 internet users aged 18 and older.
In terms of awareness, the findings showed that 98% of respondents were familiar with at least one type of cyberattack, including credit card and identity theft, online fraud, phishing, and computer viruses.
The survey found that two out of three Israelis (67%) had received a suspicious text message in the past month, ahead of the 2026 Israel elections, while 14% reported receiving threatening messages during the same period.
Half of respondents also reported being harmed online over the past year. Approximately one-third said they had been targeted by phishing messages, 13% experienced online banking fraud or credit card theft, and 10% reported having their social media accounts hacked. Another 28% reported that a virus had damaged their phone or computer.
Survey reveals gaps in cybersecurity knowledge
Despite widespread awareness of cyberattacks, only about one-third of respondents believed they had enough knowledge to protect themselves online. However, two-thirds said they were confident in their ability to identify potential cyber threats.
The survey also revealed differences in how Israelis respond to suspicious online activity.
When receiving suspicious messages, 56% of respondents said they ignored or deleted them, 23% warned others, and only 10% reported the messages to the authorities.
By comparison, 26% said they had reported social media posts containing incitement to the relevant platforms.
The findings also pointed to gaps in the public's ability to assess potentially dangerous links. Only 31% of respondents said they checked suspicious links they received, while 37% did not know how or where to verify whether a link was safe.
Nevertheless, most respondents reported taking steps to protect themselves online, with 84% saying they used at least one cybersecurity measure.
The most common measures included enabling two-step verification (61%), using security software (54%), and changing social media passwords (52%).
The proportion of Israelis who had enabled two-step verification on at least one account rose from 52% in 2025 to 61% in 2026.
The survey also examined public confidence in Israel's ability to address cybersecurity threats.
It found that 70% of respondents trusted the state's ability to handle significant cyberattacks, while 79% felt their personal information was secure when using government digital services.
Cyber directorate launches suspicious-link checking service
Alongside the publication of the survey findings, the directorate launched a new service this week, "Click Check," to help Israelis identify potentially malicious links.
Available through the National Cyber Portal, the service lets users submit suspicious links for review, with each submission also serving as a report to the directorate.
If a link is identified as malicious, the user receives an alert, and the link is forwarded to the directorate's teams for further action.