Right up front, I want to state that any comments that you leave regarding this story should be civil and thoughtful as I do NOT want this to turn into a “Bash Israel” circus. Are we clear on that? Good.
I know Israel is a place that has its challenges, and since I come from a place (England) that has had its brushes with terrorism I get the need for their security forces to be careful. But when I heard this story, I have to wonder if things were taken a bit too far. A woman goes to Israel to meet some friends, see the sights, and do everything a tourist would do. She comes across some security officers who ask her a bunch of questions. They didn’t like some of her answers and here’s what happened next in her own words:
Then they asked me to wait. Since they had asked for friends and families phone numbers I assumed they might be calling to verify my answers to questions or confirm I really had extended family in Tel Aviv. An announcement played over the sound system, interrupting my break in the sunshine. First in Hebrew, then Arabic, then in English. It was something along the lines of, ” do not to be alarmed by gunshots because the Israeli security needs to blow up suspicious passanger luggage.”
I went inside to check on my bag. I had left it unattended, where they instructed. It was still there so I went back outside.
Moments later a man came outside and introduced himself as the manager on duty. And then, “I’m sorry but we had to blow up your laptop. “
Actually, they shot it up. Just take a look at the pictures. This seems a bit extreme to me. But I guess that given the situation that Israeli citizens live in, I guess that’s okay as it is better for security forces to assume the worst to protect citizens of the country. Although like I said, it seems a tad bit extreme to me. After all, wouldn’t a powering up of the laptop be a better option?
So, what are the take home messages:
- Back up your data. Here’s a couple of articles on how to do so.
- Always be co-operative with security people. Here’s an article that I wrote on how to deal with US Customs. This may help in other places as well.
Oh in case you’re wondering, the lady who had her laptop shot to pieces is promised compensation. I hope she gets it.
Iranian cyberattacks on Israel have surged since war, Israeli cyber chief says
Posted in Commentary with tags Iran, Israel on June 29, 2026 by itnerdReuters is reporting that Iranian cyberattacks on Israel have surged since the war started, following a statement from the Israeli cyber chief. Yossi Karadi, Director General of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, told German newspaper Die Welt that in June 2025, during Israeli military operations against Iran, Israel’s authorities registered around 1,600 hostile cyber incidents.
Commenting on this news is SOCRadar CISO, Ensar Seker:
“An increase in cyber activity during periods of military conflict is expected, but what’s important isn’t just the number of incidents, it’s the shift in targeting and intent. During geopolitical crises, we typically see a broader mix of disruptive attacks, influence operations, espionage, and opportunistic campaigns occurring simultaneously. Many of these campaigns are designed to overwhelm defenders while creating strategic uncertainty rather than achieving a single technical objective
Organizations should also recognize that nation-state cyber campaigns rarely remain confined to government targets. Critical infrastructure, defense contractors, telecommunications providers, logistics companies, healthcare organizations, and multinational enterprises with regional operations often become indirect targets or collateral victims. Even organizations with no direct involvement in the conflict may experience increased phishing activity, credential theft attempts, DDoS attacks, or attacks against their supply chain.
Another notable trend is the growing integration of cyber operations with kinetic military activity. Cyberattacks increasingly support broader strategic objectives by disrupting communications, spreading disinformation, collecting intelligence, or distracting security teams before or during physical operations. This makes rapid detection, threat intelligence, and cross-sector information sharing more important than ever.
From a defensive perspective, organizations should assume that geopolitical events can rapidly change their threat profile. Security teams should strengthen identity security, closely monitor internet-facing assets, accelerate remediation of known exploited vulnerabilities, verify offline recovery capabilities, and continuously monitor for emerging indicators associated with regional threat actors rather than relying solely on traditional perimeter defenses.”
Previously, SOCRadar researchers have published an in-depth Iran-Israel Coflict Threat Landscape Report which can be read here: https://socradar.io/resources/report/iran-israel-conflict-threat-landscape-report/
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