Iranian Hackers Publish Personal Documents of Mossad Chief David Barnea on Anonymous Telegram Channel
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Iranian hackers on Wednesday published a video on an anonymous Telegram channel featuring personal photos and documents allegedly obtained from a phone used by the wife of Israeli Mossad Director David Barnea, according to a report on the JNS web site.
Created hours before the leak was published to some 30 followers, the channel is reportedly linked to Iranian groups, according to a JPost report.
The video was posted on the “Open Hands” channel, which according to Israeli media was created on Tuesday. JNS reported that its owners claimed to have obtained the information in a “lengthy intelligence operation” against Barnea, which began in 2014.
The JPost reported that in 2014 Barnea was head of the Mossad’s Tzomet department responsible for the activation of the Mossad’s international agent network. Barnea was named head of the Israeli intelligence agency in June 2021.
“We’ve got a small gift for the Mossad; ‘With LOVE for David’. Happy Purim,” a post on the channel read, referring to the Jewish holiday celebrated this week.
The JPost reported that the photos and documents shown in the Telegram group could not be authenticated, and it is unknown if they were obtained through a hack of Barnea’s personal phone or computer.
JNS reported that the video has captions in Hebrew, Arabic and English, and includes photos apparently taken on a family vacation in Copenhagen in 2014, a photocopy of his I.D. card, tax documents, plane tickets and a satellite picture of what the hackers claim to be his home in central Israel.
The channel also published a quote from the Koran and a promise that more personal information on the Mossad chief would be released soon, as was reported by JNS.
So far, the channel is followed by fewer than 100 people.
The Mossad said it was investigating the issue, adding that “this is old information.”
The JPost also reported that one document shows a notice sent to the Mossad director’s wife to pay a five-figure sum in tax debt. It said further information gathered on Barnea will be released soon.
The surveillance campaign does not only target Barnea but several other senior Israeli officials in the defense establishment, Iranian Nour News reported. According to the report, Barnea was targeted along with other Mossad officials as a possible future head of the establishment, as was reported by the JPost.
The Times of Israel reported that this was not the first time alleged Iranian hackers have published stolen personal information on targets.
An Iranian-linked hacking group, Black Shadow, targeted an Israeli hosting company last year, temporarily shutting down a number of websites and stealing user data from “Atraf,” an Israeli LGBT dating site, according to the TOI report. It later published some of the data.
Black Shadow also stole a vast trove of information from Israeli insurance company Shirbit in 2020, and then sold it on the dark web when the firm refused to pay a ransom, according to the TOI report.
