Iran wiped 50 Israeli firms’ data, hacked cameras, official says

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JERUSALEM – Iran-linked hackers have stepped up cyber attacks on Israel since the war began, wiping the data of over 50 small businesses and compromising dozens of security cameras, according to an Israeli official.

Mr Yossi Karadi, the director-general of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, told reporters on March 24 that Iran had not infiltrated or disrupted critical infrastructure such as energy grids, banks or hospitals. 

Israel, the US and Iran have for years been engaged in covert cyber operations designed to collect sensitive data or sabotage infrastructure.

While Iran rarely acknowledges any impact, its energy minister this week said water and electricity facilities were damaged in a cyber attack it blamed on the US and Israel. 

According to Mr Karadi, hackers affiliated with Iran have destroyed the data of over 50 small Israeli companies in the past few weeks, an unusually high number, he said.

Most of the targeted companies had existing cyber security vulnerabilities, said Mr Karadi.

Companies with stronger cyber security protections weren’t affected, he said.

He did not identify the victims, adding that most have since restored operations.

Earlier in March, pro-Iran digital activist group Handala carried out a cyber attack against US medical technology maker Stryker Corp, temporarily crippling the company’s global operations.

The FBI later tied the Handala group to Iranian intelligence services. 

Mr Karadi, who oversees the digital defence of civilian infrastructure, said his agency was also grappling with Iran’s hacking of public cameras in Israel.

The agency said Iran had previously used hacked home security cameras during the June conflict to aid missile targeting and surveillance.  

Some 50 cameras have been hacked in the past three weeks, he said, describing the breaches as a challenge for security personnel.

Officials quickly resolved those compromises, according to the cyber directorate. 

Most cyber operations targeting Israelis involve social engineering or influence campaigns, some of them targeting defence officials or relatives of fighter pilots, he added. 

The pace of attacks has not subsided despite what observers have described as a near-total internet blackout in Iran since the war began in February. 

“Some of them are using satellite capabilities, but there are also other ways that they can use to continue doing cyber attacks,” Mr Karadi said. 

On March 22, Iran’s energy minister accused the US and Israel of launching attacks against its electricity and water facilities, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

The attacks damaged parts of critical water supply networks, according to the report. BLOOMBERG