Jerusalem, Mar 14 (IANS): Israel registered 9,108 cyber incidents in 2022, down 18 per cent year-on-year, said a statement issued by the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD).

The statement on Monday noted that 31 per cent of last year's cases were phishing attempts, 26 per cent were hacking into social networks, and 18 per cent were malware.

It added that the rest of the cases were related to computer systems vulnerabilities and intrusions, bypassing identification mechanisms, and impairment of functional continuity, Xinhua news agency reported.

The most attacked sectors, with the potential for significant damage, were the technological, governmental, health, academic and financial ones.

The INCD said the number of cyber attacks targeting popular applications has increased in recent years, with daily reports by individuals and businesses whose accounts on social networks have been hacked.

Typical cases include stealing usernames and passwords by phishing messages or guessing, logging in and locking accounts, and stealing login codes for chat applications.