Unidentified operatives have been using a fitness tracking app to spy on members of the Israel Defense Forces, according to a report by The Guardian on Tuesday.
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Using Strava, the operatives tracked the members' movements across bases around Israel and on official business trips, the paper said. The matter was discovered by the FakeReporter open-source intelligence outfit, which "contacted Strava, and they formed a senior team to address the issue."
The app allows anyone to create and compete over so-called "segments," short runs, or bike rides. According to The Guardian, users can define a segment after uploading it from the app, but can also upload GPS recordings from other products or services. By placing fake running segments inside IDF bases, the operatives are said to have kept tabs on individuals who were exercising on site. "In one example seen by the Guardian, a user running on a top-secret base thought to have links to the Israeli [alleged] nuclear program could be tracked across other military bases and to a foreign country," the Guardian reported.
"By exploiting the capability to upload engineered files, revealing the details of users anywhere in the world, hostile elements have taken one alarming step closer to exploiting a popular app in order to harm the security of citizens and countries alike," Director of FakeReporter Achiya Schatz said.
Strava said in a statement, "We take matters of privacy very seriously and have been made aware by an Israeli group, FakeReporter, of a segment issue regarding a specific user account and have taken the necessary steps to remedy this situation."
The IDF issued the following statement in the wake of the report: "The IDF, through all its various units, is well aware of the emerging threats online. In order to deal with them, and in the wake of previous events like that mentioned, those serving in sensitive posts get occasional refreshers on the procedures."
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