In the latest phase of cyber warfare and ransonware against the Jewish State, a hacker claims to have stolen personal data of 7 million Israeli citizens.
By Erin Viner
A criminal operating under the name “Sangkancil” published documents on Telegram and online hacking forums said to have been stolen from illegally accessing a website utilized by local Israeli authorities to process payments for municipal taxes, fines and utilities.
The images purportedly stolen from the CITY4U online site included Israeli identity cards, tax receipts and driver’s licenses.
The blackmailer indicated further data will be released in the near future if a ransom is not paid but failed to list an amount.
The claim was posted alongside a message, reading: “This is my first surprise for the Jewish new year. Enjoy!” timed to coincide with this week’s celebration of Rosh Hashanah.
The hacker is previously unknown, but “Sang Kancil” is the name of a mouse-deer who triumphs over more powerful adversaries through cunning and trickery in folk-hero fables circulated in the Muslim-majority states of Indonesia and Malaysia.
The incident is under investigation by Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, which has so far commented that the released data is likely old information. But if verified, the breach would constitute one of the most severe cyber-crime and violations of privacy in the country’s history.
Israel’s Shirbit Insurance Company was the victim to a similar attack in December 2020 by hackers who identified themselves as “Black Shadow.” The group claimed to have sold the personal data of the company’s clients on the dark web after Shirbit refused to pay a ransom.