Tools to Combat Fake News and Cyber Attacks During Elections

As election periods intensify, Israelis face a deluge of information across social media and messaging platforms, making it difficult to discern truth from falsehood. During the 2022 elections, Cellcom reported approximately 213 million SMS messages sent the day before the vote, compared to 120 million on election day itself. This information overload is often exploited by malicious actors who use sensational headlines and emotional language to incite panic, anger, or excessive enthusiasm, leading even cautious individuals to share manipulated content. Election periods also serve as prime targets for phishing attacks, with hostile entities, such as those in Iran, leveraging public curiosity and emotional engagement. They impersonate election committees and political parties via SMS and emails to steal sensitive personal details, passwords, and credit card information.

To combat these threats, several tools are available to help Israelis avoid clicking on dangerous links. Cyvore offers a free service called Scan My SMS, accessible via their website, WhatsApp, or Telegram bots, which analyzes links in messages to determine if they are safe, suspicious, or malicious. Another service, Mozo, launched a free AI-powered WhatsApp service on Sunday to identify suspicious messages and fraud attempts. Users can forward messages or screenshots for analysis before clicking links or divulging personal information. While Mozo's service is typically paid, it is offered free until 24 hours after the elections. The company states it blocks over 7.5 million fraud attempts globally each month and also provides a mobile app for automatic detection and blocking of fraudulent communications.

Gil Messing, Head of Staff and Head of Global Communications at Check Point, noted that fake messages aimed at disrupting or influencing voting are common during elections worldwide. He advises the public not to believe such messages, to verify information through official sources, and to avoid clicking on links or sharing them. Messing emphasized that reliable election-related information can be easily found on the official websites of the Central Election Committee and municipalities, and that resisting manipulation by verifying information is the most effective way to thwart such efforts.