Cyber Jihad Movement
| Cyber Jihad Movement | |
|---|---|
| حركة الجهاد السيبراني | |
| Also known as | Cyber Jihad |
| Foundation | 2025 |
| Dates of operation | June 2025 – Present |
| Allegiance | Al-Qaeda (August 2025 - Present) |
| Ideology | Sunni Islamism Salafi Jihadism Islamic Extremism |
| Major actions | Distributed-denial-of-service, Website defacement |
| Status | Active |
| Part of | Allied Muslim Hacktivist (August 2025)[1] |
| Allies | State allies Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan[2][3][4] Non-state allies |
| Opponents | State opponents |
| Battles and wars | Involvement in Cyberwarfare
|
| Flag | |
The Cyber Jihad Movement (CJM), also known as Cyber Jihad (romanized: Ḥarakat al-Jihād al-Sībiranī) is a Sunni Islamist hacking group allegiant to Al-Qaeda.[13][14][8][7][15][4][9]
History
The group first emerged during the 2025 Iran–Israel conflict, where it began conducting cyberattacks against Israeli and American digital infrastructure alongside Iranian-linked hacktivist campaigns as part of its pro-Palestine campaign.[16][17][5][18][19]
According to cybersecurity firms, the Cyber Jihad Movement was one of several hacktivist groups coordinating denial-of-service and website defacement attacks following major escalations in the Iran–Israel conflict.[20][19]
Analysts at Customer Value Partners (CVP) similarly noted that the group’s activity extended to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks targeting U.S. institutions in mid-2025.[21]
The Cyber Jihad Movement also claimed that its cyber operations would target European governments and institutions in addition to the United States and Israel, under the codename Operation Storm.[11][8]
On August 22, 2025, the hacking group announced its pledge of allegiance to Al-Qaeda on the group's public Telegram channel on August 2025.[13][15]
On March 4, 2026, amid Afghanistan–Pakistan war and 2026 Iran war, the group released a statement urging Muslims worldwide to join its global cyber Jihad and vows to assist the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and Pakistani Taliban against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan government, and supporting pro-Iran hacking groups against Israel and the United States.[6][3][12]
Recorded attacks
On June 18, 2025, the Cyber Jihad Movement took offline the official website of Israeli telecommunication company Bezeq International via DDoS attack.[10]
On the month of June, 2025, the Israeli news website Times of Israel was reported to be taken offline by DDoS attack in collaboration between Cyber Jihad Movement and Team Fearless, the exact date of the event is unknown.[5]
On August, 2025, the Allied Muslim Hacktivist launched a coordinated cyberattack against India amid India's Independence Day.[1]
On September 17, 2025, the Cyber Jihad Movement launched coordinated cyber campaign to commit series of cyberattacks against what it deemed as "hostile targets"[14]
References
- ^ a b c "Cybersecurity in Focus: Recent Threats Targeting India Amid Independence Day Celebrations". CloudSEK. CloudSEK. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d Bifolchi, Giuliano (6 March 2026). "Escalation of Global Cyber Jihad and Multi-Front Hybrid Threats". SpecialEurasia. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Dark Web Reactions to the Israel–Iran Conflict". DarkOwl. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Garofalo, Daniele. "Intelligence Brief: Eyes on Jihadism". Daniele Garofalo Monitoring. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "How hacktivist cyber operations surged amid Israeli-Iranian conflict". Outpost24. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Telegram Hacktivist Activity Timeline of Iran – Israel & US War". SOCRadar. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ a b Klein, Graig R. (9 March 2026). "From Tehran to Europe: Terrorism Risks After the Killing of Iran's Ayatollah". International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT). Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d Belkin, Sonja (14 January 2026). "Understanding Cyberhacktivist Radicalisation: A Socio-Psychological Approach". GNET: Global Network on Extremism & Technology. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Cyber Group Loyal to Al-Qaeda Announces 'Cyber Jihad' Targeting Governments Worldwide". Homeland Security Today. Government Technology & Services Coalition. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Cyber Jihad Movement Targeted the Website of Bezeq International". Darkweb Informer. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Cyber Implications of the Israel–Iran Conflict – Part 2". Security Alliance. 20 June 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Mapping Hacktivist Cyber Operations in the Iran–Israel–US Geopolitical Conflict". Gurucul. 6 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Al-Qaeda Supporter: Jihadi Cyber Group Pledges Allegiance To Al-Qaeda, Says It Will Target U.S." MEMRI. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Pro-Al-Qaeda 'Cyber Jihad Movement' Reportedly Announces Launch Of Coordinated Hacking Campaign Against 'Hostile' Targets". MEMRI. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ a b Thirty-fourth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2734 (2024) concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities (PDF) (Report). United Nations Security Council. 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Cyber Jihad Movement Claims to Target Israel". Darkweb Informer. 16 June 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ Community Institution Risk Summary Report, June 23, 2025 (PDF) (Report). American Bankers Association (hosting FS-ISAC report). June 23, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
- ^ "Hacktivist Groups Strike U.S. Companies and Military Domains After Iran Attacks". Cyberpress. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ a b Tushar Subhra Dutta (25 June 2025). "Hacktivist Groups Attacking U.S. Companies & Military Domains Following Attacks on Iran". Cyber Security News. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Israel–Iran Cyber Conflict: Flash Report". CybelAngel. 20 June 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ "Cyber Threat Awareness Report: Hacktivists Launch DDoS Attacks at U.S. Following Iran Bombings". CVPCORP. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.