Introduction to Cyber-Warfare - Proiect SEMPER FIDELIS

HIJACKING NONCOMBATANT CIVILIAN IP ADDRESSES TO HELP THE WAR EFFORT35FIGURE 4.1 Hezbollah insignia (http://www.english.moqawama.org/).television station, “Al Manar.” Israeli civilians, especially the “World Union of Jewish Students”created a piece of software called “megaphone” that alerted users to online polls, discussionforums, and blogs in order to encourage them to post information supportive of theIsraeli cause. 7 On the other side, there have been reports of Hezbollah hackers gaining accessto networks of Israeli Defense Force (IDF) units stationed on the Lebanese border. 8 If suchactivities occurred, it was likely for Intelligence gathering as there have been no reports inthe open media of DDoS-style attacks against tactical IDF units during this conflict.The Information Operations of HezbollahPerhaps the most noteworthy instance of cyber warfare during this conflict was a tactic tosupport Hezbollah’s information operations (IO). It is feasible that one of the key enablers ofHezbollah’s “victory” was their ability to communicate their story faster and more effectivelythan the Israelis. For example, immediately after the successful missile attack on an Israelinaval vessel, Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, was on Al-Manarsatellite television station persuading viewers to take a look at the burning Israeli ship.His statements followed footage of the attack and the wreckage. At that point in time, theIsraelis had not even confirmed the event. 9Hezbollah’s integrated approach to information warfare was central to their strategy(Figure 4.2). One of the main components was “cyber psychological operations” (Cyber-PSYOP or CYOP). 10 CYOP is defined as the use of cyber operations to directly attack andinfluence the attitudes and behaviors of soldiers and the general population. For instance,