Fitness app exposes Israeli bases, security failure: Israeli media
4 Min Read
An unknown actor manages to manipulate the Strava fitness application to collect information and intelligence on Israeli bases, sensitive sites, and soldiers.
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An Israeli Air Force jet fighter plane takes off from Tel Nof Air Force base for a mission over the Gaza Strip in central occupied Palestine, on November 19, 2012. (AP)
A recent Haaretz report speculated that foreign actors could potentially be monitoring Israeli military bases and sensitive sites under the cover of the Strava fitness application, to collect intelligence and information on the soldiers serving on them.
According to Haaretz, hundreds of Israelis have been exposed, as the user manipulated the application to collect personal information, reaching even their home addresses, amid a severe security failure the Israeli occupation forces continue to suffer from.
In detail, an anonymous actor, under a concealed alias, opened an account on Strava and began systematically uploading false geographical data into the app to make it appear as if they had run through several army, air force, and intelligence bases, as well as other sensitive locations across "Israel".
Occupation soldiers who had signed up [although forbidden] gave up their information and locations to the unknown actor. The Israeli occupation, however, was not aware of the intelligence operation until Haaretz suspected a breach.
This issue came to light after Rotem Yasur, an open-source investigator, tipped off the media. Yasur, who often uses the app for sports and research, noticed that the user appeared to be running solely in secret Israeli military bases.
What has Strava exposed?
Strava, a fitness app with over 120 million users, functions as a social media platform where runners and cyclists can share workout data and compete virtually across user-created geographic areas. Additionally, Strava enables users to manually upload geographic data to establish what is known as "segments".
Consequently, the fake account was created in July but remained inactive until this operation and utilized Strava's features to establish over 60 different segments, encompassing 30 bases and locations across "Israel" from the occupied Golan to Eilat, all within just four days.
A day later, segments for the Tel Nof and Hetzarim airbases were opened, the military intelligence Unit 8200 in Glilot and al-Quds, navy bases in Ashdod and Eilat, arms and munitions sites and depots, and most remarkably, the Sdot Micha Airbase, which allegedly houses "Israel's" nuclear weapons.
The US military base on Mt. Keren, where advanced anti-ballistic missile radars are located, was also on the list.
Moreover, the identities of individuals whose home addresses were revealed include members of a classified intelligence unit, fighters from an elite special forces unit, personnel from air defense systems, and commanders from the Air Force and Navy.
Strava has long been viewed with suspicion, as Haaretz highlighted the risks it could pose to users when a similar incident arose a few years ago. At that time, the IOF shared guidelines and new protocols with their soldiers and personnel regarding wearable technologies.
Moreover, Strava was used to monitor the IOF's movements across Gaza since the start of the war.
According to Haaretz, the recurrence of the situation highlights a significant and ongoing operational security failure within the defense establishment, which has not been able to implement protocols despite being aware of the associated risks.
No security in 'Israel'
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority announced on Monday that, for security reasons, government meetings will no longer be held at a designated location or time.
This decision, prompted by a recommendation from Israeli security services, highlights ongoing safety concerns.
Israeli media reported that the cabinet meeting will be unusually held in an underground bunker this time, and will also be held without advisors, only cabinet ministers.
The Israeli Walla website quoted government sources as saying the location will be decided in line with security protocol and today's meeting will be held in the basement of the Genery building in occupied al-Quds, where several government offices are located.
According to the Israeli Ynet website, the decision to relocate the cabinet meeting from the Prime Minister’s Office in occupied al-Quds and the IOF headquarters in Tel Aviv was in direct response to the Hezbollah drone attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea earlier this month.
Read more: Hezbollah's increasing threat to Israeli security
