SAEDNEWS: Israeli media report that Iran-linked hackers infiltrated the phone of former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked during the 12-day war, gaining access to her Telegram account. Shin Bet later informed her of the breach, amid growing Iranian cyber operations targeting Israeli officials.
Israel’s Channel 12 has reported that hackers affiliated with Iran managed to infiltrate the personal mobile phone of Ayelet Shaked, Israel’s former Justice Minister, during the 12-day war.
According to Saed Newsciting Euronews, Shaked was informed of the attack by Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, which told her the source of the operation was Iran. The breach occurred after several previous failed attempts and was successful when Shaked clicked on a malicious link that allowed the hackers to gain full control of her device.
Israeli media state that the cyberattack took place between June 13 and June 24, during which hackers deceived Shaked into clicking on the link and subsequently gained access to her Telegram account. The reports claim that no highly sensitive information was found in her account. According to The Times of Israel, Shin Bet informed Shaked about two weeks after the breach that her phone had been compromised.
Shaked had previously been warned by Nadav Argaman, the former head of Shin Bet, about Iranian attempts to hack her phone. Following the incident, she stated: “The matter is being pursued by security authorities.”
The report adds that since the end of the 12-day war, Iranian efforts to hack the personal phones of Israeli officials have significantly increased. Several senior officials had previously fallen victim to a scheme in which fake Telegram messages were sent, encouraging them to link their accounts to WhatsApp and sync their social media profiles.
