Israel thwarts cyber attack against defense industries

The Defense Ministry reveals the attackers from a cyber group funded by a foreign state, approached employees working in defense industries through LinkedIn, offering tempting job opportunities with the aim of hacking their computers
Yoav Zitun|
Israel has thwarted a cyber attack on the country's major defense industries, security officials said Wednesday.
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  • The Defense Ministry revealed Director of Security of the Defense Establishment along with other bodies within the defense establishment foiled a cyber attack on Israel's major defense corporations.
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    According to the ministry, the attackers approached employees within the defense industries through LinkedIn - business and employment-oriented online service - offering tempting job opportunities with the aim of hacking their computer networks.
    The preliminary investigation shows the attempted attack was carried out by an international cyber group known as "Lazarus", which is backed by a foreign country. Members of the organization used various techniques to entice their potential victims, including "social engineering" and impersonation.
    The attackers impersonated managers, senior staff at human resources departments and representatives of international companies. They had contacted employees of Israel's leading defense corporations in an attempt to develop a dialogue with them.
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    אפליקציית לינקדאין
    אפליקציית לינקדאין
    LinkedIn - business and employment-oriented online service
    (Photo: Shutterstock )
    The attackers then tried to install spyware on the employees' computers and infiltrate the networks of the companies they work for in order to collect sensitive security information.
    "The attempted attacks were identified in real time and thwarted by the Defense Ministry's tech unit and by the defense industries' cyber defense systems, without causing any damage," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
    The ministry said they will "continue to act with the aim of thwarting attempts to hack the networks of our defense industries to undermine the technological superiority of the State of Israel."
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