The Shin Bet security agency revealed Monday that it has detected roughly 200 Iranian-orchestrated cyberattacks targeting Israeli citizens, including high-ranking public officials and notable public figures, such as attorney Yossi Fuchs. A senior Shin Bet official characterized the campaign as a significant escalation in Iran's ongoing operations against Israel, specifically designed to enable assassination attempts.

In a detailed briefing, the security service disclosed that it had identified an extensive Iranian phishing operation in recent months. The targets included senior defense establishment figures, political leadership, academic researchers, media professionals, journalists, and other prominent individuals.

The sophisticated campaign sought to compromise targets' digital footprint – including email accounts, computers, and mobile devices – with the ultimate goal of harvesting sensitive personal information. The attackers particularly focused on gathering residential addresses, personal connections, and routine location data. According to security officials, this intelligence was intended to support Iranian-directed operations within Israel, potentially executed through locally recruited cells. The Shin Bet and Israel Police have successfully prevented nine separate attempts by Iranian operators to recruit Israeli citizens for such operations in recent months.

The cyber operatives typically initiated contact through WhatsApp, Telegram, or email communications. Each approach was meticulously crafted with a personalized cover story matching the target's professional sphere, designed to appear legitimate and avoid triggering suspicion.

The technical aspect of the operation involved two primary attack vectors: persuading targets to download malware-infected applications or directing them to sophisticated phishing websites that mimicked legitimate services. These fake sites prompted targets to enter their email credentials, allowing the attackers to harvest login information and gain unauthorized access to their email accounts.

Following the discovery of this campaign and a comprehensive investigation that revealed its full scope and identified compromised individuals, the Shin Bet initiated a large-scale notification operation. This included alerting affected citizens, providing detailed security briefings, and issuing guidance on enhanced cybersecurity measures and personal safety protocols.

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Two Israeli radio stations were taken over by the pro-Iranian hacker group known as Hackers of Savior on Thursday evening. 

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On the Radio 91FM, also known as Radio Lev Hamedina, the hackers disrupted the live video broadcast, while the broadcast of Radius 100 FM was replaced by pro-Palestinian propaganda, which included recordings in Hebrew – with an Arabic accent – of "Palestine will be liberated" soon. 

We come to you from the Palestinian capital of Quds (a reference to Jerusalem), the recording said. We are coming to you from a country whose history of olive trees is older than the regime. We are coming to you from a country stained with the blood of the innocent. We are coming to you from a country whose freedom is near. A country that will be liberated soon, said the hackers, who operate under the banner "#OPJerusalem."

The radio stations said they were prepared for such an attack as the Israel National Cyber Directorate had warned against potential hacking attacks ahead of Al-Quds Day, which Iran initiated in 1979 – the year of the Islamic Revolution – to express support for Palestine. The day is commemorated with anti-Israel protests and speeches as well as threats to "liberate" Jerusalem from Israeli control. 

The annual protests, also being held in Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere, come on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of fasting, Ramadan.

Hackers of Savior has a history of breaching Israeli institutions. Most recently, it claimed to have hacked into a system to transfer funds between Israeli banks and through it into people's personal accounts, although the Cyber Directorate found no indication of this.

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The personal information of thousands of Israelis was compromised Saturday following a cyberattack on the database of a major Israeli financial services firm.

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According to a report in Walla News, "BlackShadow," the same group that carried out a cyberattack on the Shirbit insurance company in December, managed to breach the database of KLS Capital, which has over 26,000 clients.

"Their servers are down and we have all their clients' information," the group wrote on the Telegram instant messaging platform.

According to reports, the hackers demanded a 1.9 million shekel ($570,000) ransom in bitcoin, which KLS refused to pay.

According to BlackShadow, following 72 hours of failed negotiations, they began to leak thousands of the company's documents, including clients' driver-license photos, ID numbers – including that of the CEO – client, and copies of checks.

"Approximately three days ago, the National Cyber Security Authority contacted KLS Capital and warned of a possible cyber-attack on the company," the firm, founded 20 years ago, said in a statement, adding that the strike was similar to others carried out by Iran in the past, where Israeli government, civil and private institutions were targeted.

The company acted immediately to protect its servers and worked together with the National Cyber Directorate to investigate the incident, the statement said.

"It is not yet known how much information had been revealed and the company will be in touch with its clients based on findings."

The NCD issued a statement calling on companies to take the necessary steps to prevent cyberattacks and take responsibility for their clients' information.

Ido Naor, founder and CEO of cybersecurity company Security Joes explained that BlackShadow "did not change its pattern" with its latest attack.

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"This group brands itself as anti-Zionist and it aims to create political propaganda. This attack shows that the hackers are not trying to breach a significant target, or they simply lack the skills to do so."

He further noted that "we've recently seen some very dangerous vulnerabilities in the Microsoft email exchange that are used, time and again, by skilled hackers. Still, Blackshadow didn't opt for that route. It's hard to believe that another cyberattack will resonate as much as the first one did."

i24NEWS contributed to this report. 

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It is believed that the heavy punishment for Issachar's drug offense was designed to pressure Israel into not handing cybercriminal Alexei Borkov, who is detained in Israel, over to the Americans. Borkov was arrested while visiting Israel in 2015 after Israeli authorities saw an Interpol alert. He is wanted in the US on suspicion of hacking US credit card databases and sharing the details.

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Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked signed an order to extradite Borkov to the US. The process required a court review, then a follow-up extradition order.

According to reports, the Russians proposed a prisoner swap this past summer, which Israel rejected due to legal difficulties and a disinclination to refuse an American extradition request.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly discussed the proposed prisoner exchange deal at a meeting in Sochi on Sept. 12, but Netanyahu explained that Israel could not do what Russia wanted.

"The authorities in Israel have been active regarding Issachar throughout her detention. Israel has delivered a clear message: The punishment being demanded by the Russian prosecutor is disproportionate and does not fit the nature of the offense being attributed to Issachar," a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office on Friday read.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu requested a commuting of the sentence and an easing of the terms of Naama's detention. To our regret, the Russian prosecution has not yet accepted these requests," the statement continued.

On Saturday, it appeared likely that Israel would buck the Russian pressure and extradite Borkov to the US.

Sources in the legal system told Israel Hayom that Borkov's request to be returned to Russia was "thin and baseless from a legal perspective." The same sources also said that Israel and the US had long been cooperating on the extradition of criminals held in either country and "it was unreasonable to ruin those ties in the current circumstances."

Meanwhile, Israel Hayom has also learned that Russia's ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to clarify developments. During the meeting, Viktorov was informed of Israel's displeasure at how Russian authorities were treating Issachar.

In April, Issachar, 26, was caught by Moscow airport security staff with 9.5 grams of cannabis in one of her suitcases. She was jailed for approximately six months and on Friday a Russian court sentenced her to 7.5 years in prison.

Issachar's relatives gave interviews on Friday and expressed their horror at the young woman being held as a bargaining chip. Issachar's mother, Yaffa, told Israel Hayom: "I'm horrified. It was a sham trial. It was just a big show. It's not [about] nine grams of drugs, it's about a battle between two countries, and look how long my daughter will have to pay the price."

Yisrael, Issachar's uncle, said after her sentence was announced, "After the developments of the past few hours, we aren't surprised at the punishment. Now we know who the enemy is. Until now we didn't know why the case got so complicated.

"Now we know why and it will be easier for us. Thus far, we've focused on the amount of drugs she supposedly had, but now everyone understands that that wasn't the issue. Everything is out in the open. The girl is a hostage," the worried uncle said.

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