Former Israeli Officials Targeted by Handala Hack Hacker Group in Data Breach
Handala Hack hacker group has targeted former senior Israeli officials, exposing their confidential information for public access. The victims of this cyberattack are the ex-Head of the General Staff of the Israeli Defense Army Gabriel Ashkenazi and former Minister of Defense Benny Ganz.
On September 26, the hackers released two password-protected archives containing approximately 60,000 secret emails of Ashkenazi. The group claimed that this data is just the beginning of what they have obtained. They also posted personal photos of the politician to validate the authenticity of the information.
This breach on Gabriel marks the second attack within three days. On September 23, the same group disclosed 35,000 confidential letters allegedly belonging to Benny Ganz. The following day, hackers uploaded an archive containing 2,000 photos of Ganz, suggesting evidence of his involvement in secretive and detrimental meetings.
The hackers issued a warning alongside the data leak: “Do you think the current officials and ministries of the so-called Zionist regime are safe? You are mistaken! Let them fear even their own shadow!” This message reveals the political motive behind the attack and the intent to instill fear in current Israeli officials.
Handala Hack is a group with a pro-Palestinian stance, specializing in cyber attacks against Israeli interests and infrastructure. The group employs sophisticated methods such as phishing, ransomware, and website defacement to carry out their attacks.
In a notable incident in March 2024, the group claimed to have hacked the Viber messenger app and stolen over 740 GB of confidential data, including source code. They demanded a ransom of $583,000 in bitcoins for the stolen data. However, Viber has refuted these claims, stating that they found no evidence of a breach in their systems.