Porn phishing attacks used to hit Israeli sites

Hackers located in Gaza, Palestine have successfully breached valuable Israeli websites by sending scam emails in the form of pornographic videos, according to a new security report.

The campaign targeted high-value Israeli individuals as well as a government office, military organization, academic institution and several infrastructure and transportation providers, Tokyo-based security firm Trend Micro stated in a research paper.

{mosads}To break into the system, hackers sent specially designed phishing emails that made a pornographic video pop up on the recipient’s computer. The message would then surreptitiously inject malware into the user’s system, allowing hackers access to sensitive information.

Trend Micro noted that the use of pornography was both unusual and effective because workers are typically ashamed to report receiving pornography-tainted messages on an official email account. As a result, the malware could go undetected.

The security firm predicted that a “host of cyberattacks” from Arab countries will take place in the near future.

“Whoever the real culprits are, it is clear that they are part of the Arab world, evidence of a budding generation of Arab hackers and malware creators intent on taking down their chosen adversaries,” the report stated.

“Some of the black hats — be they mercenaries or cybersoldiers — are actively targeting countries such as Israel due to political motivations. We have seen all of the ingredients of a cyberskirmish guerrilla war that goes unnoticed by mainstream IT security media.”

While the victims of the attack and the information compromised were not named, the report stated that the hackers used network infrastructure in Germany. 

Another cyber attack considered the work of beginners was also linked to the same German servers as well as the Gaza Strip, suggesting the possibility of an umbrella organization that supports Arab hackers, according to Trend Micro.