On Saturday, the Handala hacking collective, which has ties to Iran, announced it had obtained the personal and professional details of engineers it alleges are central to Israel's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) development.
This declaration followed a previous warning from the group about potential cyberattacks targeting high-ranking Israeli politicians. Israeli authorities have not provided an official comment, and security experts note the claims remain unverified.
Handala stated it published information on 14 individuals it described as key figures behind Israel's drone and UAV initiatives within military and defense sectors. The group asserted these systems are integral to Israeli military activities.
Additionally, Handala placed a $30,000 bounty on each named individual, alleging Israel's use of UAVs has harmed civilians and breached international law. No supporting documents or verifiable evidence have been released to substantiate these allegations.
The group's actions are part of a broader cyber campaign against Israeli targets. Previously, Handala offered similar bounties for information on engineers involved in air defense systems like Patriot, Arrow, and David's Sling, listing their photos, names, credentials, and contact details.
Earlier, Handala warned of hacking attempts against Israeli political figures, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Blue and White chairman MK Benny Gantz, Likud MK Tally Gotliv, and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. The group also conducted an online poll to select future targets.
In a related incident, former prime minister Naftali Bennett confirmed his Telegram account was compromised after Handala claimed to have accessed his phone on Wednesday.
