January 27 marks the International Holocaust Remembrance Day — a solemn occasion to honor the memory of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, along with countless others who fell victim to the Nazi regime's campaign of hatred and intolerance. This tragic chapter in human history serves as a stark reminder of the catastrophic consequences of prejudice and extremism.
The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 — the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau — as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of this infamous extermination camp.
As the world reflects on this dark period, a troubling resurgence of antisemitism underscores the importance of vigilance. This growing hatred has spilled into the digital realm, with cyberattacks increasingly targeting Jewish and Holocaust remembrance and educational websites — spaces dedicated to preserving historical truth and fostering awareness.
For this reason, here at Cloudflare, we began to publish annual reports covering cyberattacks that target these organizations. These cyberattacks include DDoS attacks as well as bot and application attacks. The insights and trends are based on websites protected by Cloudflare. This is our fourth report, and you can view our previous Holocaust Remembrance Day blogs here.
At Cloudflare, we are proud to support these vital organizations through Project Galileo, an initiative providing free security protections to vulnerable groups worldwide. If you or your organization could benefit from this program, consider applying today to help protect these essential platforms and the invaluable work they do.
Project Galileo overview. Source: Cloudflare 2024 Impact Report
One of the organizations that we protect through Project Galileo is Muzeon, a museum dedicated to preserving Jewish history in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Muzeon faced significant cyberattacks that impacted their website’s performance and hindered operations before using Cloudflare.
As part of Project Galileo, Muzeon implemented Cloudflare's DDoS mitigation, Web Application Firewall (WAF), Managed DNS, and other services. These measures drastically reduced the attacks and allowed Muzeon to focus on its important mission of storytelling and preserving cultural heritage.
Cloudflare’s solutions not only protected their digital infrastructure but also freed up time for Muzeon to expand its interactive exhibits, ensuring they could continue sharing their essential work globally. You can read more about this case study here.
Significant rise in antisemitism around the world
Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, there has been a surge in global antisemitic incidents. In the U.S. alone there have been more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents from October 7, 2023 to September 24, 2024, representing an over 200-percent increase compared to the incidents reported during the same period a year before. As we’ve seen, the digital world is often a mirror to the real world. As a result, it is not surprising that websites dedicated to sharing information about the Holocaust, as well as Jewish memorial and education platforms, are now increasingly being targeted online.
Cyberattacks against Jewish and Holocaust educational websites
For the years 2020, 2021, and 2022, the number of cyberthreats targeting Holocaust and Jewish educational and memorial websites protected by Cloudflare was, on average, 736,339 malicious HTTP requests annually.
After the October 7 Hamas-led attack, cyberattacks skyrocketed. In 2023, the amount of blocked HTTP requests surged by 872% to 35.7 million compared to 2022. Most of these cyberattacks occurred after October 7, 2023.
In 2024, the number of blocked HTTP requests exceeded 47 million — representing a 30% increase compared to 2023. Over 3 out of every 100 HTTP requests towards Holocaust and Jewish memorial and education websites protected by Cloudflare were malicious and blocked.
Cyber threats against Holocaust and Jewish memorial and educational websites by year
In the fourth quarter of 2023, the volume of malicious requests exceeded 27 million. Throughout the first three quarters of 2024, we saw a gradual decrease in the quantity of malicious requests. But in the fourth quarter of 2024, cyberattacks spiked by 33%, to 36 million requests, following the one-year anniversary of the October 7 assault.
Cyber threats against Holocaust and Jewish memorial and educational websites by quarter
Breaking down the quarters into months, we can see an initial peak in October 2023 after the October 7 Hamas-led attack. The volume of cyberattacks remained elevated during November and December 2023.
Afterward, as we entered 2024, the quantity and percentage of cyberattacks against these websites significantly decreased. In November, over a third (34%) of all requests towards these websites were blocked, with over 36 million requests blocked that month alone.
Cyber threats against Holocaust and Jewish memorial and educational websites by month
Helping build a safer Internet and a better world
On the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we reflect on the importance of standing against both antisemitism and cyber threats — issues that have escalated since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack.
At Cloudflare, we are unwavering in our commitment to create a safer, more inclusive Internet. The rise in antisemitism has made it even more critical to protect educational websites and communities from harmful cyber attacks. We invite everyone to join us in this fight. Even with our free plan, we offer strong security and performance, ensuring that vital resources and websites remain safe and accessible. By working together, we can protect the lessons of history and foster a more secure digital world for all.