Cybersecurity Company: Iranian Hackers Breached 32 Israeli Companies

A cybersecurity company announced on Monday that Iranian hackers successfully infiltrated the networks of approximately 32 Israeli companies. According to the online section of the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth (Walla), the company 'ESIT' reported this cyber breach. The hackers also infiltrated a company in Brazil and another in the United Arab Emirates. The names of these companies have not been disclosed, but they are reported to be active in various sectors including insurance, healthcare, industry, communications, information technology, advanced technologies, retail, automotive, law, financial services, architecture, and construction. The group behind these hacking attacks is referred to as 'Ballistic Bobcat.' According to the Israeli website Walla, this group is also known by other names including 'Charming Kitten' and 'APT35-42.' The report states that the main goal of this group is cyber espionage, but they have also engaged in data theft and ransomware attacks in other instances. Findings indicate that following the attacks by this group, the computer networks of 16 victim companies became targets for secondary attacks by other hackers. Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran have accused each other of conducting cyber attacks for several years. It is still unclear whether this reported cyber attack campaign has been successful in achieving its objectives or not. The United States and the United Kingdom have sanctioned members of a cybercrime group in Russia. The aftershocks of the hack of information from 18 insurance companies led to the dismissal of the head of Iran's Central Insurance. Canada has deemed 'Iranian and Russian cyber attacks' a threat to its security. Germany has warned opponents of the Islamic Republic: hackers are lurking for you. The 'Rewards for Justice' program; the U.S. is offering up to $10 million for information on Ahmadinejad, Khatibi, and Nikayin. A cybersecurity company reported that 'Cloudzy' from Iran is assisting government hackers worldwide. Israeli media reported that malware developed by hackers linked to Iran is a target. The Raisi administration denied the hacking of the presidential website; hackers claim to have 'confidential' documents from 120 servers.