Data of thousands of Israelis with military ties leaked in hack
4 Min Read
An Iranian-linked cyber group has allegedly exposed detailed personal data from Israeli security veterans, prompting concerns over espionage, travel risks, and data security failures.
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In this Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2013, photo, an Israeli works on a computer at the CyberGym school in "Israel" (AP)
A hacker group has exposed the personal information of thousands of Israelis with ties to elite military and intelligence units, in what experts are calling one of the most alarming cyber breaches in recent years. The leak includes resumes with names, emails, phone numbers, and in some cases, addresses, belonging to individuals with sensitive roles in "Israel’s" security apparatus.
Among those affected are former intelligence officers, cyber warfare experts, drone operators, and engineers from elite units such as Unit 8200 and Unit 81, as well as personnel linked to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Security.
The breach reportedly originated over a year ago via the recruitment platform JobInfo or one of its third-party affiliates. It was only made public last month. Haaretz, which verified a significant portion of the data, contacted 250 individuals whose information was leaked. Not a single person reported being notified by Israeli authorities.
“This is really scary,” one affected settler told Haaretz. Cybersecurity analysts warn that the leak could expose individuals to both digital threats and physical targeting.
Hack-and-leak campaign tied to Gaza War
Experts attribute the breach to the Handala Hack group, which Haaretz claims is an Iranian-affiliated collective responsible for more than 20 recent "hack-and-leak" operations. Their activity has intensified following the Israeli war on Gaza, as part of a broader campaign to “embarrass Israel and endanger those identified in the files due to their military past,” according to Israeli cyber security specialists.
The group typically harvests data quietly for intelligence-gathering before making it public, as per the report. Among the most sensitive details leaked are resumes listing work in “high-risk, high-gain R&D projects,” “vulnerability discovery for cyber superiority,” and “UAV operations using precision-guided munitions.”
From military secrets to tech giants
The leak also maps out how former military personnel transition into the private sector, including firms like Elbit, Rafael, NSO Group, and Cognyte, or international companies in AI, surveillance, and cybersecurity.
Many resumes were written in both English and Hebrew, providing extensive detail on intelligence systems, SIGINT, and AI-powered tools. Some originated from graduates of classified training programs like Gamma, a feeder for elite cyber units.
This culture of “humble bragging", in which intelligence veterans include granular military experience on public resumes for job leverage, has now come under scrutiny. While platforms like LinkedIn offer limited privacy settings, services like JobInfo lack such protections, leaving full identifiers exposed.
Rising risks abroad and at home
The threat goes beyond the digital realm. One recent case involved a cybersecurity reservist and former intelligence officer targeted by pro-Palestine activists during a European work trip. Campaigns calling for the arrest of Israeli military veterans abroad are growing, raising fears about international travel for those linked to the leaked data.
The leak follows previous attacks by Handala Hack, including the breach of data from the Weizmann Institute of Science, which was also targeted by Iranian missile strikes. Over the past 18 months, agencies like Shin Bet and firms like Check Point have reported a surge in spear-phishing and social engineering attacks aimed at compromising "Israel’s" political and military elite.
Check Point recently detailed, as per the report, how hackers are impersonating professionals in tech and academia to lure Israeli targets, a long-term threat that is compounded by this latest trove of exposed identities.
Growing cyber war
The incident has drawn comparisons to the 2023 leak of Israeli gun owners’ data, another breach that prompted public backlash and security concerns. In response, the Israeli government has enacted emergency cybersecurity regulations, extending strict compliance standards to even small firms and recruitment platforms.
A spokesperson for the National Cyber Directorate told Haaretz, “Many of the recent data leaks involving companies in the Israeli economy originated with storage providers. The new regulations will help strengthen our ability to respond to such attacks and prevent their proliferation.”
But critics argue that the response may be too late. As cyber operations grow more aggressive and more coordinated with on-the-ground wars, the personal security of "Israel’s" military and intelligence personnel has never looked more vulnerable.
