A group of cyber experts said hackers are using an Iranian software to collect massive private data available on social media accounts of soldiers and officers in the Israeli army, posing a threat to them and their family members.
Despite attempts from the Israeli military to mitigate the effect of such operation on its military intelligence, it is concerned about the magnitude of the operation and its consequences, and therefore it warned soldiers and officers of its threats.
The cyber experts described the operation as a serious war that accompanies the ongoing military war between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah, and other militias serving the Iranian axis.
They also warned that collecting private details of Israeli soldiers does not only target Israel but other armies and countries in the region and the world.
Media reports said a well-known Iranian technology is currently using advanced Russian expertise and hackers from all over the world.
Therefore, cyber-security measures that Israel and other developed countries adopt are unable to face all cyber-attacks.
On Monday, the Israeli daily Haaretz said there are more than 2,000 Israel Air Force personnel who were the subject of detailed dossiers created by Hamas as part of intelligence-gathering operations.
It said the dossiers were leaked online this week, and with them the details of the soldiers' past and present.
According to Dana Toren, head of the Operations Division at Israel's National Cyber Authority, Israeli “databases are often hacked through the weakest link in the chain – whether through third-party storage companies, a security weakness, or in businesses that do not invest in cyber protections.”
She recommended that “citizens try to reduce the exposure of their personal information to a minimum, lock online social media profiles as private and keep the camera on mobile phones turned off and limited to personal use.”
The personal information has been leaked online, compiled by Hamas, reports Haaretz.
The files include soldiers' contact details, unit assignments, ID numbers, social media profiles, family member names, and in some cases, passwords, license plates, and banking information.
The files had been circulating online for several months and were recently made public after being shared with an international group of investigative journalists, led by Paper Trail Media in collaboration with German weekly Die Zeit and broadcaster ZDF, Austrian daily Der Standard, and Haaretz.
