According to Khabaronline, an Iranian news agency, In a report published on Wednesday, an Israeli television network acknowledged that hackers associated with Iran had managed to penetrate Israeli cyber infrastructure that is widely believed to be heavily protected. The breaches reportedly led to the exposure of sensitive documents and data, as well as the live takeover and display of surveillance camera footage.
The report noted that Iran’s cyber successes have not necessarily relied on advanced technologies or the discovery of rare “zero-day” vulnerabilities. Instead, Iranian-linked groups are said to have systematically exploited existing weaknesses in civilian and organizational systems—areas that often receive far less protection than critical national infrastructure.
Citing an international financial newspaper published the same day, the Israeli report said Iran’s cyber strategy focuses on large-scale scanning of computer networks to identify known but unpatched vulnerabilities, conducting mass phishing campaigns, and employing relatively simple fraud techniques such as SIM card swapping.
The report ultimately concluded that Iran’s effectiveness stems from the growing gap between Israel’s heavily fortified critical infrastructure and civilian institutions—such as hospitals and government offices—which often lack binding cybersecurity regulations. This gap has allowed hackers to access sensitive documents and, in some cases, gain real-time control of surveillance cameras for intelligence purposes.
According to cybersecurity experts quoted in the report, attackers routinely scan Israeli networks for known security flaws that have not yet been addressed and rely on high-volume, repetitive phishing techniques to gain initial access.
Over the past two years, Iranian-linked hacking groups have reportedly obtained highly sensitive documents, some of which were later published online, causing what the report described as significant reputational damage to Israel.
Among the disclosed materials were passport details of senior Israeli security officials, internal emails and documents spanning more than 15 years, and sensitive data related to firearm license applications, including applicants’ military service records.
Information linked to prominent Israeli political figures was also exposed. One hacking group reportedly published the contact list and Telegram messages of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Experts cited in the report believe this breach was the result of a SIM swapping attack, a method in which mobile service providers are deceived into transferring a phone number to a SIM card controlled by hackers.
One of the most alarming revelations, according to the report, emerged from a threat intelligence assessment by Amazon, which found that Iranian hackers had exploited a known security vulnerability to access closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras across Israel.
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