On Tuesday February 14, 2023, an Arabic hacking group known as Al-Toufan (the flood) claimed responsibility for the attacking Bahrain’s international airport website, Bahrain state news agency, and a chamber of commerce. They claimed that it was done to commemorate the 12-year anniversary of the Arab Spring uprisings in the country.
The airport website was inaccessible for at least 30 minutes on Tuesday, and the group seems to be continuing its attacks on other companies and organizations in Bahrain as of Wednesday.
Last November, the Bahrain House of Representatives website was briefly compromised when “Al Toufan” defaced BHR’s website by inserting an image of “martyr Reza Abdullah Al-Asra” on the manin homepage. The hacker group claimed that the attack was in response to the persecution by the Bahraini authorities and to support the popular will to boycott the upcoming legislative and municipal elections.
This attack was just the latest in a series of cyberattacks that Bahrain has faced in recent years. In 2017, hacked the Twitter account of Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa and posted hostile and insulting videos. Using the minister’s account, hackers retweeted messages from another account identified as Numour al-Huriya (Tigers of Liberty), which is believed to be associated with Shi’ite militants. One message with pictures of Shi’ite leaders stated, “Our leaders, you have our pledge, our demand is Down with Hamad.”.
In 2018, a group calling itself the “Bahrain Cyber Army” claimed responsibility for a series of cyberattacks on government websites. The group posted messages on the hacked websites, calling for an end to the government’s human rights abuses and demanding the release of political prisoners.
2019, the country’s foreign ministry was hacked by a group calling itself the “Shadow Kill Hackers.” The group leaked sensitive information, including diplomatic cables and email correspondence, on social media platforms. The government said that the hackers were linked to Iran and that the attack was politically motivated.
The cyberattacks on Bahrain’s government websites serve as a reminder of the ongoing political tensions in the country and the broader region. The government’s response to these attacks, including its investment in cybersecurity and collaboration with international partners, highlights the growing importance of cybersecurity in the modern era. However, it also raises questions about the balance between national security and civil liberties in the face of online threats.
+ There are no comments
Add yours