(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Hackers broke into an Israeli defense computer via an email attachment tainted with malicious software that looked like it had been sent by the country's Shin Bet secret security service, an Israeli cyber security firm said.
Aviv Raff, chief technology officer at Seculert, said the hackers earlier this month temporarily took over 15 computers, one of them belonging to Israel's Civil Administration that monitors Palestinians in Israeli-occupied territory.
Securlet had not determined what the hackers did after the initial infection with "Xtreme RAT" software, Raff said. "All we know is at least one computer at the Civil Administration was in control of the attackers; what they did we don't know."
The Civil Administration is a unit of Israel's defence ministry that oversees the passage of goods between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories Israel captured in a 1967 war and which Palestinians want for a state. The administration also issues entry permits to Palestinians who work in Israel.
Raff declined to identify the other 14 computers targeted by the hackers. An Israeli source who spoke on condition of anonymity said these included companies involved in supplying Israeli defense infrastructure.
Based on Raff's analysis the 15 computers were in the hackers' grip for at least several days after the January 15 dispatch of the email, which included an attachment about ex- Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon who had just died
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.