Man
Professional
- Messages
- 3,079
- Reaction score
- 615
- Points
- 113
The identities of the scientists, photos and documents are available on the Internet.
Hackers allegedly linked to Iranian intelligence have revealed the identity and activities of an Israeli nuclear scientist who worked at the Sorek Nuclear Research Center. The group released photos that they claim were taken in Sorek, as well as screenshots with the alleged names of other specialists associated with the particle accelerator project. However, the analysis showed that the photos are probably not directly related to the Sorek site.
At the same time, the hackers said that they had hacked the personal account of the former general director of the Ministry of Defense, publishing his personal photos and documents. Personal materials belonging to the Israeli ambassador and former military attaché to the United States were also revealed, as well as information about family members of senior Israeli officials.
In March, hackers said they had accessed data from the Negev Nuclear Research Center, located in Dimona, allegedly by hacking into government email servers, including those of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission. Last week, they published about 30 images allegedly taken in Sorek. However, the analysis showed that the images are not related to either Sorek or Dimona. Probably, the materials were obtained from the phone or e-mail of the scientist and related to his work as a radiation safety specialist. Among the published data was also his passport photo.
Among the leaks were also found several screenshots of computer systems believed to be related to the SARAF particle accelerator project, in which the scientist took part, which allowed hackers to reveal the names of other specialists. Although the hackers tried to hide the dates on some of the documents, they missed the Hebrew dates, which made it possible to establish that the materials were from 2014-2015.
So far, the hackers have only published about 30 photos, rather than the entire estimated amount of data, making it impossible to verify whether they were actually able to obtain inside information from Dimona or Sorek.
The National Cyber Directorate declined to comment and forwarded requests to the Prime Minister's Office. The Shin Bet security service also did not provide a response.
The Prime Minister's Office, on behalf of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, said: "After a thorough check, it has been established that the images and drawings do not belong to any of our facilities." Regarding the screenshots, the commission confirmed that they contain "technical materials related to the project to install a particle accelerator at the Sorek Nuclear Research Center."
Over the course of several months, the group has systematically released personal information about former and current Israeli officials associated with defense and government structures. Hackers claim that the data was obtained by hacking email accounts. Among the targets was a former major general who previously led military cyber operations and later took over as director general of the Department of Defense. Hackers published his passport photo and threatened to disclose the full archive of documents in the future.
The group distributes this information through a special website, sharing links through its Telegram channel. Israeli researchers identify this group as a unit of Iran's offensive cyber operations, the main purpose of which is information influence and psychological pressure.
In recent months, dozens of Israelis have been arrested on charges of collaborating with Iranian intelligence to gather information on senior Israeli officials, including a nuclear scientist. While the link between these arrests and the leaks remains unclear, successfully obtaining data on the activities of an Israeli scientist, even if he was involved in civilian nuclear research, could be a significant psychological achievement for Iran.
Commenting on the month-old leaks, a senior researcher at the National Cyber Directorate told Haaretz: "This group serves as a platform to amplify their attacks – some highly successful, others less – aimed at impacting the Israeli economy while using psychological warfare tactics to create fear and deterrence".
Since October, Israel has been facing an increase in the number of cyber attacks of varying complexity. In recent months, there have been massive data leaks from the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense, nuclear research centers, the National Insurance Institute, and other government agencies.
Earlier, Haaretz reported that other groups have created a special blockchain-based website to publish leaks from Israeli databases. The platform already hosts thousands of documents that cannot be deleted due to decentralized technology.
Israeli cybersecurity experts warn that the growing number of data leaks about Israeli citizens, defense officials and people with access to classified information pose serious threats. Hackers can use leaks for targeted phishing attacks to gain access to sensitive systems. According to experts, leaks from the National Insurance Institute and the Department of Defense could have been simplified by previously stolen data, for example, from the insurance company Shirbit and the Elector app, which compromised the data of about six million citizens.
Several sources confirmed to Haaretz that Israel is actively searching for stolen data on the Internet and is trying to remove it through legal mechanisms and appeals to companies that manage social networks, instant messengers and other platforms. In some cases, this works, but most often the information remains available, and it is almost impossible to delete it.
Source
Hackers allegedly linked to Iranian intelligence have revealed the identity and activities of an Israeli nuclear scientist who worked at the Sorek Nuclear Research Center. The group released photos that they claim were taken in Sorek, as well as screenshots with the alleged names of other specialists associated with the particle accelerator project. However, the analysis showed that the photos are probably not directly related to the Sorek site.
At the same time, the hackers said that they had hacked the personal account of the former general director of the Ministry of Defense, publishing his personal photos and documents. Personal materials belonging to the Israeli ambassador and former military attaché to the United States were also revealed, as well as information about family members of senior Israeli officials.
In March, hackers said they had accessed data from the Negev Nuclear Research Center, located in Dimona, allegedly by hacking into government email servers, including those of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission. Last week, they published about 30 images allegedly taken in Sorek. However, the analysis showed that the images are not related to either Sorek or Dimona. Probably, the materials were obtained from the phone or e-mail of the scientist and related to his work as a radiation safety specialist. Among the published data was also his passport photo.
Among the leaks were also found several screenshots of computer systems believed to be related to the SARAF particle accelerator project, in which the scientist took part, which allowed hackers to reveal the names of other specialists. Although the hackers tried to hide the dates on some of the documents, they missed the Hebrew dates, which made it possible to establish that the materials were from 2014-2015.
So far, the hackers have only published about 30 photos, rather than the entire estimated amount of data, making it impossible to verify whether they were actually able to obtain inside information from Dimona or Sorek.
The National Cyber Directorate declined to comment and forwarded requests to the Prime Minister's Office. The Shin Bet security service also did not provide a response.
The Prime Minister's Office, on behalf of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, said: "After a thorough check, it has been established that the images and drawings do not belong to any of our facilities." Regarding the screenshots, the commission confirmed that they contain "technical materials related to the project to install a particle accelerator at the Sorek Nuclear Research Center."
Over the course of several months, the group has systematically released personal information about former and current Israeli officials associated with defense and government structures. Hackers claim that the data was obtained by hacking email accounts. Among the targets was a former major general who previously led military cyber operations and later took over as director general of the Department of Defense. Hackers published his passport photo and threatened to disclose the full archive of documents in the future.
The group distributes this information through a special website, sharing links through its Telegram channel. Israeli researchers identify this group as a unit of Iran's offensive cyber operations, the main purpose of which is information influence and psychological pressure.
In recent months, dozens of Israelis have been arrested on charges of collaborating with Iranian intelligence to gather information on senior Israeli officials, including a nuclear scientist. While the link between these arrests and the leaks remains unclear, successfully obtaining data on the activities of an Israeli scientist, even if he was involved in civilian nuclear research, could be a significant psychological achievement for Iran.
Commenting on the month-old leaks, a senior researcher at the National Cyber Directorate told Haaretz: "This group serves as a platform to amplify their attacks – some highly successful, others less – aimed at impacting the Israeli economy while using psychological warfare tactics to create fear and deterrence".
Since October, Israel has been facing an increase in the number of cyber attacks of varying complexity. In recent months, there have been massive data leaks from the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense, nuclear research centers, the National Insurance Institute, and other government agencies.
Earlier, Haaretz reported that other groups have created a special blockchain-based website to publish leaks from Israeli databases. The platform already hosts thousands of documents that cannot be deleted due to decentralized technology.
Israeli cybersecurity experts warn that the growing number of data leaks about Israeli citizens, defense officials and people with access to classified information pose serious threats. Hackers can use leaks for targeted phishing attacks to gain access to sensitive systems. According to experts, leaks from the National Insurance Institute and the Department of Defense could have been simplified by previously stolen data, for example, from the insurance company Shirbit and the Elector app, which compromised the data of about six million citizens.
Several sources confirmed to Haaretz that Israel is actively searching for stolen data on the Internet and is trying to remove it through legal mechanisms and appeals to companies that manage social networks, instant messengers and other platforms. In some cases, this works, but most often the information remains available, and it is almost impossible to delete it.
Source
