A cyberattack caused some Israeli businesses to experience credit card payment problems on Tuesday morning, Shva (Automatic Bank Services) reported.
According to the Israel-based company, a denial-of-service attack occurred starting at 7 a.m., causing disruptions in processing transactions. Regular service was restored by 9:50 a.m.
“Due to a denial-of-service attack, entities connected to the company via the internet experienced disruptions in the transmission of transactions for credit card approvals,” according to Shva.
Shva is the largest provider of communication and IT services for the country’s banking sector and serves as the leading clearing house for credit card transactions.
While the firm did not offer details on who was behind the cyberattack, the Hebrew-language Bizportal site suggested that it might have been “Anonymous Sudan,” a group with Iranian links that has carried out cyberattacks against Israel before.
Gil Shwed, the outgoing CEO of cybersecurity firm Check Point, was quoted by Bizportal as saying on Tuesday that “the number and sophistication of [cyber] attacks on Israel are among the highest in the world, with over 2,300 attacks per week—a 100% increase compared to 2023. These attacks are caused, among other things, by criminal entities, Iranian actors and other hostile parties.”
In July, Visa Cal credit card holders reported fraudulent charges due to a malfunction at Shva.