An Israeli LGBT-focused dating service was one of several websites targeted by a hack on an Internet hosting company, which worried users of a potential data leak that could expose those still in the closet.
“Atraf,” a geo-located dating service as well as a nightlife index, is a popular app and website in the Israeli LGBT community, especially in the Tel Aviv region.
Hackers apparently linked to Iran said on Friday that they breached the servers of Israeli Internet hosting company CyberServe, bringing down several widely used websites.
The Black Shadow group, which Hebrew-language media reports called Iranian, warned the Israeli company that it had data that could be leaked. The group has not confirmed whether it is backed by Tehran.
“Hello again! We have news for you,” the hackers wrote in a message circulating on social media on Friday evening. “You might not be able to connect to multiple websites today. ‘Cyberserve’ company and their customers [were] killed by us. What about the data, you may ask? As always, we have plenty. If you do not want your data to be leaked by us, contact us soon.”
It was unclear what data the hacker group would leak, but users who did not come out with sensitive personal information on Atraf were concerned that their names might be released, according to Hebrew-language media reports.
The Aguda Association for LGBT Equality in Israel on Saturday called on the National Cyber Directorate to “act urgently to prevent data leaks”, saying the release of such personal information “is a threat”. [the users’] mental health.”
The directorate said on Saturday that it had warned CyberServ several times over the past year that the internet hosting company was vulnerable to such attacks. The National Cyber Directorate also advised Israelis whose personal data contained their passwords to change their passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and be on the lookout for suspicious emails and messages.
In this October 8, 2019 file photo, a woman types at a keyboard in New York. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, FILE)
Black Shadow stole a large chunk of information from Israeli insurance company Shirbit last year and then sold it on the dark web after the firm refused to pay the ransom.
CyberServe’s clients include the Dan and Kavim public transport companies, the Children’s Museum in Holon, Pegasus Travel Company and the blogsite of the Cannes public broadcaster.
The websites of several CyberServe customers were not available on Saturday afternoon.
Last year, Black Shadow attacked the Shirbit insurance firm and began negotiating a ransom, but the company said it would not pay, leading to dark web sales of information stolen from the firm.
Many of Shirbit’s customers are from the public sector and the images of private documents issued include vehicle registration and credit card details of an employee at the presidential residence, as well as personal correspondence and marriage certificates, as well as personal details of the president. Tel Aviv District Court.
Unnamed Israeli officials told Channel 12 News at the time of the attack that they believed a state was behind the Black Shadow attack. However, he did not name the country.
Israel and Iran have been engaged in shadow warfare for years, with Israel reportedly directing most of its efforts – including several suspected cyberattacks – to sabotage the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
this week, a unprecedented cyber attack Iran’s subsidized fuel delivery system was dismantled.
A gas station is seen standing empty as the pumps are out of service in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, October 26, 2021. (AP photo/Wahid Salemi)
Abolhassan Firozabadi, a top official in Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace, told state broadcaster IRIB that the attack was apparently carried out by a foreign country, though it was too early to name the suspects. He also linked the attack to another attack that targeted Iran’s rail system in July.
The next day, an Iranian official tweeted in Hebrew that the “enemy’s goal” of fueling unrest through a gas shortage had been thwarted.
Several suspected Iranian cyber attacks on Israel were reported in recent years, including those targeting its water infrastructure in 2020.
Microsoft said this month that Iran had quadrupled its hacking attacks on Israel in the past year.
“Microsoft detected an increased focus from a growing number of Iranian groups targeting Israeli entities … and with that focus came a series of ransomware attacks,” the company’s annual Digital Defense report said.
Google has also warned of an increase in state-backed hackers, including a report good Focusing on “notable operations” by a group affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
