Cleared for Publication
The Directorate of Security for the Defense Establishment in cooperation with additional security institutions, thwarted a cyber-attack targeting Israel’s leading defense industries.
Following an investigation, it was discovered that an attempted cyber-attack was conducted by an international cyber group called “Lazarus,” an organization that is backed by a foreign country. Members of the group used various hacking techniques, including ‘social engineering’ and impersonation. They built fake profiles on Linkedin, a social network that is used primarily for job searches in the high-tech sector.
Israel’s Channel 13 identified that country as North Korea.
The attackers impersonated managers, CEOs and leading officials in HR departments, as well as representatives of international companies, and contacted employees of leading defense industries in Israel, with the aim of developing discussions and tempting them with various job opportunities. In the process of sending the job offers, the attackers attempted to compromise the computers of these employees, to infiltrate their networks and gather sensitive security information. The attackers also attempted to use the official websites of several companies in order to hack their systems.
The cyber-attacks were identified in real time, and thwarted by the Tech Unit under the Director of Security for the Defense Establishment within the Ministry of Defense as well as the cyber defense systems employed by the defense industries. No harm or disruption was made to their networks. The Directorate of Security has launched an investigation and operational activity together with the defense industries and other security bodies, following this attempted breach.