The Israeli internal security and intelligence agency (Shin Bet) announced that it has identified more than 200 phishing cyberattacks by the Iranian regime aimed at obtaining personal information of senior Israeli officials.
According to Shin Bet, senior security, political, academic, and media figures in Israel were among the victims of these cyberattacks.
Phishing is a type of cyberattack often used to steal user information.
The Times of Israel reported that hackers attempted to access personal information by persuading Israelis to install software and, in some cases, used this information for future attacks against these individuals.
Shin Bet stated that hackers fabricated a separate story for each victim to avoid suspicion. For example, in one case, a hacker posed as a cabinet minister and told the victim they were coordinating a meeting between them and the Israeli Prime Minister.
Shin Bet reported that it has identified the victims of this cyber campaign and informed them.
In recent months, the Iranian regime has sought to establish contact with Israeli targets and officials through a series of deception operations and the dissemination of fake information.
On November 24, Israeli media reported that Iranian regime agents sent fake invitations to two Israeli ministers to collect information or establish contact with senior Israeli officials.
In September, Reuters reported on hacking groups known as “APT42” or “Charming Kitten,” associated with the intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), emphasizing that their activities against high-value targets in Washington and Israel are significant.
In February 2024, Mandiant, a cybersecurity and IT company owned by Google, reported identifying a new threat linked to Iran-Nexus espionage activities targeting the aerospace, aviation, and defense industries in several countries, including Israel, the UAE, Turkey, India, and Albania.
