'This is not just about corporate spying anymore.'
The corporate espionage scandal took a disturbing turn Thursday, as police sources revealed that sensitive security-related information was also stolen via the Trojan Horse spy software.
Corporate Espionage
By Avi Cohen
Police say private investigators used spy software for business espionage; affair involves some of Israel leading companies. Police arrest senior executives, some may have fled country
The information was stolen from senior politicians’ personal computers as well as from corporate-owned computers, but police officials would not offer details regarding the extent of the information stolen or whether any use has been made of it.
“This is not just about corporate spying anymore,” Judge Mordechai Peled said as he extended the remand of 11 suspects in the case. “This is about additional acts that include major infringements of the right to privacy in other aspects that cannot be disclosed at this point.”
Senior police officials heading the investigation said during the court hearing that the spy scandal has security, legal, and personal connotations.
Also on Thursday, “Pelephone” CEO Yaakov Gelbard and “Yes” satellite TV Head Ofer Bloch were interrogated after their deputies were arrested last week in suspicion of soliciting private investigators to transfer information stolen from the computers of rival communications company “Partner” and cable TV company “HOT,” respectively.
The deputies claimed the CEOs were unaware the information handed to them was, in fact, stolen.