Hamas Hacks Israeli Soldiers’ Phones With Fake Dating And World Cup Sites
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Israel’s military accused the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Tuesday of trying to hack the mobile phones of Israeli soldiers through a malicious World Cup score-tracking app and two bogus dating apps.
Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip and has fought several wars with Israel, declined comment.
The three Android apps, which have since been removed from the Google Play Store, were designed to infect troops’ phones with data-stealing malware and turn on cameras and microphones for live spying, two Israeli military security officers said.
A Google Israel spokeswoman did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment. The officers, at a briefing for foreign reporters, declined to say how Israel had determined Hamas was allegedly responsible.
One of the apps, “Golden Cup,” was set up last month as the World Cup soccer championship kicked off in Russia, the Israeli officers said. “It was actually a very good one, giving you the game results,” said one of the officers, who under military secrecy rules requested anonymity.
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