Gaby Portnoy, Director General of the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD), said in an interview with Gili Cohen and Ronen Manelis on Kan Reshet Bet Thursday evening that he was surprised by the sheer number of Iranian cyber attacks against Israel in recent months.
"We are dealing with dozens of attacks a month from the Iranian side," Portnoy said, but he clarified that "we are thwarting the major threats, so they are not achieving anything."
Portnoy also addressed the report by Kan News yesterday that Iranian hackers have leaked Israeli security footage many times, including footage from last month's deadly bombings at bus stops in Jerusalem. He blamed weak passwords for the leaks.
"If you don't change the password when you get the camera, the hacker has to overcome [a password of] 0000 or 1234, it's not a big effort," Portnoy said.
"Here there is a failure of a security organization, they did not do the minimum required, but no more should be made of it than it is," he continued. "At the end of the day, it's a matter of conscientiousness. You shouldn't give the enemy an achievement he doesn't deserve. But's a marginal occurrence."
The Kan News report mentioned several different hacking organizations that are connected to the Islamic regime and act against Israel: Hackers of Savior, for instance, attacks logistics and shipping companies; Sharp Boys attacks small websites and attempts to crosscheck private info of politicians and prime ministers; and Open Hands launches attacks in response to operations it connects to the Mossad.