Secret data of thousands of Israeli soldiers leaked online following cyberattack

A large-scale dataset containing the resumes of thousands of people who have served or are currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces and intelligence agencies has been leaked online as a result of a cyberattack allegedly backed by Iran. The leaked information includes personal names, phone numbers, email addresses, and in some cases, home addresses. Furthermore, the leak includes individuals who have served in air defense systems, cybersecurity, and high-level intelligence units.

While the authenticity of most documents has been verified by research conducted in the Israeli press, some of the victims described the situation by saying, "This is truly chilling." On the other hand, none of the affected individuals stated that they had been informed in advance by official institutions.

It is the consensus among security experts that the cyberattacker group behind the incident is "Handala Hack." This organization has carried out approximately 20 similar cyberattack operations in recent weeks.

The leak is believed to have occurred as a result of a breach of JobInfo, an Israel-based human resources and recruitment platform, or its affiliated third-party data providers. Among the exposed documents are details belonging to high-level figures who have had careers in Israel's most critical intelligence units.

The fact that the most recent resume in the documents dates back to 2024 suggests that the data leak operation may have begun about a year ago. It is reported that the cyberattacks proceeded in two stages: first targeting the data and then leaking it.

In a statement following the attack, the Israel National Cyber Directorate emphasized that the majority of data breaches stem from data storage services, announcing that newly determined regulations will impose much stricter cybersecurity measures on both the public and private sectors. The new rules will cover all commercial entities, including small businesses.

Israel's internal security agency, Shin Bet, and private security firms have announced that they have observed a remarkable increase in spear phishing attacks, particularly targeting government officials and journalists in recent months. In addition to capturing credentials via email, these attacks can sometimes result in the attackers impersonating the victims to launch new attacks against other targets in a second phase.

Experts point out that digital tensions between Iran and Israel have taken on new dimensions and that cyberattacks play a decisive role in intelligence-gathering processes. Not only defense infrastructure but also universities and research institutes are under this risk.

News Source: 12punto