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Shin Bet unveils Iranian plot to trick Israelis into giving info on defense officials
[IsraelTimes] Espionage operation included fake social media pages urging users to photograph homes of brass hats and rallies for release of hostages, tried to gather intel via fake surveysThe Shin Bet security agency on Monday revealed attempts by Iranian intelligence services to spy on Israeli defense officials and gather information on civilians by using fake social media pages related to the ongoing war and the hostages held by Death Eaters in the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppressionand disproportionate response... Strip. According to the Shin Bet, Iranian operatives, using fake online profiles, tasked Israelis with photographing the residences of Israeli defense officials and other officials who appear frequently in the media and speak out publicly against Iran. Using fictitious social media pages and websites, the Iranian operatives also initiated gatherings near the homes of the families of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas  ...a regional Iranian catspaw,...and had bouquets of flowers and messages sent to their homes, the Shin Bet said. The agency said that the Iranian operatives had taken advantage of the protests in support of the hostages by having Israelis hang signs relating to the issue that had been written by them, as well as asking them to photograph the demonstrators. The pages also asked Israelis to fill out surveys, which would require victims to give out personal information. The Shin Bet said this was an attempt to collect further information on Israeli civilians, to later use them to carry out various tasks. The social media profiles — on Instagram, Telegram and TikTok — included pages posing as those of far-right activists and supporters of releasing the hostages, as well as a page named Kan+, impersonating the Kan public broadcaster. The operation revealed on Monday was run by the same Iranian network behind attempts uncovered last month to recruit Israelis over social media to carry out spying missions, including an liquidation, in exchange for money. In that operation, individuals affiliated with Iranian security services contacted Israelis on various platforms and sparked an initial conversation using various deceptions. They then asked their marks to perform tasks such as photographing various sites and verifying addresses. The attempts to recruit the Israelis are a "well-known method of operation of the Iranian security agencies," the Shin Bet explained. It added that since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip in October, the agency has identified that "the activity efforts of Iranian security forces have greatly intensified, while using digital space for the purposes of intimidation, conveying messages or advancing terror activity." "Its purpose is to assist Hamas in its war and to damage Israel’s national resilience and war effort, sowing demoralization and deepening social divisions," the agency said. The plans recently uncovered by the Shin Bet are not the first instances of Iranian operatives trying to target Israelis via social media. In July of last year, the Shin Bet said it had uncovered an Iranian phishing campaign against Israeli civilians, mostly targeting state employees and researchers, in a bid to obtain intelligence on state policy. According to the agency, Iranian operatives would contact Israeli targets on LinkedIn while posing as acquaintances, and the conversation would move to an email, where the operatives would either invite them to a conference by sending them a document with further details or sharing a research paper. In 2021, something similar was attempted, and Iranian operatives were found to have attempted to lure Israeli academics, business people and former defense officials abroad, in an effort to kidnap or otherwise harm them. At the time, the Shin Bet said the operatives used spoofed emails, pretending to be academics, journalists, businessmen and philanthropists. Posted by: trailing wife 2024-01-17 |
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