By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Last week, the hackers released approximately 30 images allegedly from the Soreq Nuclear Research Center.

A group of hackers “believed to be affiliated with Iranian intelligence” have revealed the personal details of an Israeli nuclear scientist and a former senior defense official, to the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

In addition to the nuclear scientist’s exposure, the hackers “released personal photos and documents allegedly obtained by breaching the accounts of several senior Israeli officials,” the paper reported on Monday.

🚨Update: Israeli Nuclear research center hacked by Iran!!

The Iranian Handala hacking group has announced a new cyber attack. They successfully infiltrated the safety unit of Israel’s Soreq Nuclear Research Center, extracting over 20GB of highly classified data! pic.twitter.com/xR7vQ9ntMB

— US Civil Defense News (@CaptCoronado) November 5, 2024

Among the targets was “a former major general who previously headed the military’s cyber operations before serving as Defense Ministry director-general.” His passport photo was published with the hackers threatening “to release their full cache of documents in the future.”

The paper said that in March, the group claimed to have stolen data from the Negev Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, “apparently through a breach of government email servers, including those of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission.”

SARAF Particle Accelerator Project

Last week, the hackers released approximately 30 images allegedly from the Soreq Nuclear Research Center. However, Haaretz said, “careful analysis reveals that these photos were not actually taken at either Soreq or Dimona.” Rather, it appeared to have been obtained from the nuclear scientist’s cell phone or email account.

“The leaked materials included several computer system screenshots, apparently from the SARAF particle accelerator project in which the scientist was involved, revealing the names of additional nuclear scientists,” the paper said.

The Iranian hacker group “Handala,” known for its activity against israel, claim to have infiltrated the systems of the ultra-orthodox independent educational system. The group issued a statement claiming to have obtained 3.4 terabytes of data and attached CCTV footages.

In the… pic.twitter.com/uOhPY2ARJ4

— Arya – آریا (@AryJeay) July 1, 2024

The Israel Atomic Energy Commission denied that the leaked photos came from Israeli nuclear facilities, while the National Cyber Directorate declined to comment and the Shin Bet security service also offered no response, the paper added.

The hackers also leaked personal materials “belonging to a current Israeli ambassador and a former military attaché in the United States, as well as information about family members of senior Israeli officials.”

‘Unprecedented Surge’

Since last October, Israel has faced “an unprecedented surge in cyberattacks of varying sophistication,” said Haaretz.

In recent months, the paper noted, there has been “widespread distribution of data stolen from” various government departments and state institutions including the Justice Ministry, Defense Ministry, and nuclear research centers.

A Parallel War – International Hackers Target Sensitive Israeli Databases

The paper also pointed out that other hacking groups “have established a dedicated blockchain-based website for publishing leaks from sensitive Israeli databases,” with thousands of documents having already appeared on this platform.

“Due to its decentralized technology,” the documents “cannot be removed from the internet.”

The paper noted that in recent months, “dozens of Israelis” have been indicted for allegedly “acting on behalf of Iranian intelligence to target senior Israeli officials, including a nuclear scientist.”

“While any connection between these arrests and the current leak remains unclear, successfully targeting an Israeli scientist – even one involved in civilian nuclear research – would represent a significant psychological victory for Iran,” Haaretz said.

(The Palestine Chronicle)