Sudanese Brothers Indicted for Cyber Attacks during Al-Aqsa Flood Operation
The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted two Sudanese brothers, Ahmed (22) and Alaa Youssef Omar (27), for allegedly conducting cyber attacks that disrupted Israeli warning systems during the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, which began on October 7, 2023. The indictment claims that the brothers managed a hacker group known as 'Anonymous Sudan', which has been classified by the U.S. as one of the most dangerous cyber groups globally. Reports indicate that their cyber attacks coincided with a significant military escalation involving Hamas, leading to a temporary disruption of critical early warning systems in Israel, including the Iron Dome.
The indictment, unsealed in California, details how the brothers executed their cyber attacks just as Hamas fighters breached the Israeli border. This disruption allegedly prevented timely alerts about incoming rocket fire, endangering thousands of lives. The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California described the group as “the most dangerous distributed denial-of-service cyber group in the world,” highlighting the severity of their actions.
Additionally, the brothers have been linked to numerous other cyber incidents, including attacks on U.S. government agencies and media outlets, and a previous attack that shut down a hospital's computer systems in Los Angeles. Their motivations, as stated in their communications, were in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on hospitals in Gaza, illustrating the ongoing cyber warfare linked to the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
