- A Hacker group claims breach of Israel Defence Ministry, offers sensitive data for sale.
- Extensive data was taken from Defence and Justice Ministries, with demands for release of prisoners.
As reported by Israeli news outlet Hayom, a hacker group recently claimed to have breached the computers of the Israel Defence Ministry and obtained sensitive information. While the data has been circulating in various Telegram groups, security sources confirmed to Hayom on Tuesday that indeed, there was a breach into the ministry’s computers. However, officials declined to provide further details, and the Defence Ministry opted not to comment on the matter.
The hackers announced on Telegram its success in stealing data from the Defence Ministry’s computer systems and released a video purportedly demonstrating how it hacked into various Defence Ministry systems and accessed the information.
Among the materials belonging to the Defence Ministry are documents related to communications and orders, which the hackers offered for sale on various forums in exchange for 50 bitcoins, equivalent to 12.5 million shekels.
Elsewhere, it was reported that extensive data was stolen, but the hackers claimed they would only sell it if Israel agreed to release 500 security prisoners.
The Israeli security establishment declined to comment on this demand.
On Friday, hackers breached the systems of the Justice Ministry, reportedly obtaining hundreds of gigabytes of data, including information about Justice Ministry employees and official documents.
Although the Justice Ministry denied the occurrence of an attack, sources familiar with the matter informed Israel’s Hayom that around 100 gigabytes of sensitive data, seemingly from the Justice Ministry, are currently circulating online.
In November 2023, hackers collectively known as the ‘Al-Aqsa Flood,’ claimed responsibility for breaching Israeli Defence Ministry data. They announced that they had infiltrated the Israeli Defence Ministry’s website, allegedly accessing sensitive information regarding over 11,000 Israeli soldiers.
The compromised data reportedly included photographs, addresses, contact details, military enlistment numbers, and indications of some soldiers’ Ukrainian origins.
A video shared on Telegram by the group revealed personal details of specific soldiers, serving as evidence of the breach. Additionally, the hackers issued a warning that the obtained data is now in the possession of Palestinian fighter groups.
