How Malaysia Became a Major Target for Israeli Cyber Attacks

Malaysia has once again made headlines regarding security matters, following a mysterious incident in the city of Malacca, which raised questions about possible Israeli infiltration within the country, whether through direct intelligence activities or advanced cyberattacks, amid growing official and popular concern.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has criticized its criminal actions in the Gaza War. Moreover, many of its residents support the Palestinians.

However, it is home to approximately 600 Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Kuala Lumpur has provided more than $10 million in donations and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza since October 2013.

On April 21, 2018, Palestinian scientist Fadi al-Batsh was shot dead in Kuala Lumpur by two Mossad motorcyclists in an assassination Hamas claimed was carried out by Mossad, while “Israel” denied the accusations.

Security Efforts

From a small sticker written in Hebrew to press conferences and security investigations, Malaysia has once again found itself at the center of a debate about Israeli infiltration and attempts to tamper with its internal security.

Several Malaysian newspapers and media outlets, such as The Star, recently reported on the opening of a police investigation into a pickup truck traveling through the streets of Malacca State bearing a sticker in Hebrew reading ‘Malaysia is our homeland’, while the license plate frame read New York.

Within hours, the news spread in various forms, some translating the sticker as ‘Malaysia is in our hands’, while others attributed the Malaysian police investigation to a report filed by a religious affairs official, creating confusion among the Malaysian public.

According to the newspaper Maariv, on October 9, Malaysian police stopped a four-wheel pickup truck bearing a sticker written in Hebrew. Some commentators believed the sticker could indicate Israeli activity or infiltration.

The police investigation later revealed that the driver was a 59-year-old Malaysian citizen who claimed to have purchased the sticker approximately 13 years ago and changed the original wording from “Israel” to Malaysia, citing his interest in foreign languages.

Despite the clarification, authorities announced that the investigation would not conclude until linguistic experts were consulted to verify that the sticker contained any suspicious or inflammatory symbols.

Malaysians expressed their detestation towards the pickup truck and its owner for displaying the Hebrew language, especially in a country with strong anti-“Israel” sentiments.

Media and public reaction to this incident reflected a general state of suspicion and apprehension, linked to repeated Israeli attempts to infiltrate Malaysia and undermine its security.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed last June that the Israeli Mossad was active within the country through a weapons and drug smuggling network, noting that some citizens had been recruited to carry out espionage missions.

During a parliamentary session, he spoke about security efforts that led to the detection of agents, some of whom managed to escape before being arrested.

Israeli Cyberattacks

On March 27, 2024, Malaysian police arrested a 36-year-old Israeli named Shalom Avitan inside a hotel in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, after he had infiltrated Malaysia with guns and ammunition.

Hebrew media outlets noted that Avitan was a member of an Israeli criminal gang who was on his way to assassinate a member of a rival criminal gang, while Malaysian security services believed he was an agent operating under cover, they believed he was a civilian.

In April 2024, authorities indicted three Malaysians, including a couple, who were arrested on suspicion of supplying weapons and driving a vehicle for the Israeli suspect.

Malaysian state media reported that police also arrested eight others in connection with the case, including two Turks and a Georgian.

This apparent Israeli eye on Malaysia has not been limited to logistical tampering; it has also extended to cyberattacks over the past two years targeting several Malaysian economic and technology institutions and companies.

Among the targeted companies are Maxis, palm oil plantation company Aminia, the popular online learning platform Yoututor, and the regional headquarters of IT giant Dell in Malaysia.

In turn, the Malaysian government's National Cyber Coordination and Command Centre linked this targeting to Malaysia's political stance on the Israeli war on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and its provision of safe haven for many of them.

In addition to the security dimension, Malaysia faces a complex social challenge, as it is home to 35 million people of diverse ethnicities and religions: Malay Muslims, Chinese Buddhists, and Indian Hindus.

The Palestinian cause is a central issue for the Muslim majority, but it does not receive the same attention among other groups. This makes it difficult to formulate a unified national position on Israel and risks inciting internal tensions when political events occur.

More than 3 million immigrants and refugees from various countries live in the country, many of whom suffer from unemployment or poor basic services, making them—according to security sources—easy prey for recruitment by foreign intelligence agencies.

The Malaysian government is handling the issue with extreme caution. While it seeks to demonstrate vigilance and protect national security, it also fears that excessive media focus on these cases could incite panic among citizens and undermine domestic stability.

Therefore, local media outlets are directed to adopt a calm tone, and only a limited portion of the details of the security investigations are revealed to the public.

However, according to observers, this secrecy opens the door to rumors and misinformation and increases public distrust.

As for Palestinians and Arabs residing in Malaysia, they avoid drawing attention to themselves for fear that these tensions will translate into new restrictions on their presence or activities within the country.

Mossad Agents

In October 2022, the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs revealed that Mossad agents had used Malaysian nationals to carry out a covert kidnapping operation. Two Palestinians believed to be Hamas members were kidnapped on September 28.

Malaysian operatives recruited for “Israel” managed to kidnap only one of the targets, while the other managed to escape and file a police report.

According to the Malaysian New Straits Times, Malaysian intelligence, with Turkish assistance, rescued Omar al-Balbaisi, a computer programmer born in Gaza in 1991. He was kidnapped by Mossad after arriving in the Malaysian capital.

Omar had successfully hacked Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system in 2015-2016, enabling Hamas to carry out intermittent rocket attacks.

He studied programming at the Islamic University of Malaysia and graduated from it. He successfully developed an encryption program for the Ministry of Interior in Gaza to prevent phone hacking, putting him on the radar of the Israeli Mossad.

Investigations revealed that the Mossad cell was involved in spying on important sites in the country, including airports and government electronic companies.

It is widely believed that Mossad has placed a number of Palestinians living in Malaysia on target lists.

Despite not recognising “Israel”, Israelis have entered Malaysia on many occasions. 

Many Israeli tourists have flaunted their visits to Kuala Lumpur on social media. 

Nusier Yassin of the Nas Daily is the most infamous of these Israelis, who entered Malaysia using a Caribbean passport. 

On one occasion, the Malaysian government allowed Israelis to attend sporting events. 

In 1997, then Prime Minister Tun Mahathir allowed an Israeli cricket team to attend a competition in Malaysia despite massive protests. 

However, he declined their entries when a similar opportunity presented itself in 2019 with the International Paralympics.

Despite not having any diplomatic ties, the two countries do have an underground trade. Malaysia recorded a total of $9.99 million in exports in 2021 while importing goods amounting to $9.01 million in the same period.

However, Malaysians have been at the forefront of an international attempt to boycott global companies that have traded in Israel via the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions, or BDS. 

In December 2023, Malaysia barred the Israeli shipping company Zim from docking at its ports in response to the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Malaysia has repeatedly called for Israel’s expulsion from the United Nations for what it says were numerous war crimes and persistent violations of international law against Palestinians, as well as genocide.