Iran-linked hackers claim to expose alleged Israeli drone engineers, offer $30,000 bounties
The Handala cyber group claimed to have acquired the names of engineers involved in Israeli drone programs, a day after threatening Israeli politicians.
The Iran-linked Handala hacking group issued a new threat Saturday, claiming to have discovered the identities of Israeli engineers allegedly involved in developing drone programs, according to social media posts.
Handala’s statement comes a day after he threatened to carry out cyberattacks against senior Israeli politicians. Israeli officials have not issued an official response and security sources have stressed that the claims have not been verified.
The group said it had published personal and professional information on individuals it described as key figures in Israel’s efforts to develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within the IDF and defense industries.
The group then placed a bounty of $30,000 on each of the individuals named.
An Iranian flag is visible on a computer’s processor (for illustration) (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)
Handala publishes names of 14 alleged drone engineers
In her statement, Handala claimed to have disclosed the names and detailed profiles of 14 people she described as “the minds behind Israel’s drone and UAV programs.” The group claimed that these systems play a central role in Israeli military operations.
The hackers further claimed that Israel’s use of drone systems caused harm to civilians and constituted violations of international law. As part of this move, the group said it had placed a bounty of $30,000 on each of the individuals named.
No documents or verifiable independent evidence have been released to support these claims, and the source of the information remains unclear. Israeli authorities have not issued an official response.
Handala’s expanded cyber campaign against Israeli ticker tape
This threat follows repeated attacks against Israeli politicians and the defense echelon.
Handala placed a bounty on information on more than a dozen Israelis, who she said were the developers of the Patriot, Arrow and David’s Sling air defense systems.
Similar to the attacks on drone engineers, the group offered a $30,000 bounty on information on Israeli engineers and technicians, listing their photos, names, identifying information, email addresses, locations and phone numbers.
The attacks have still not been verified by security sources.
A day earlier, Handala warned of hacking attempts against senior Israeli politicians, 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 asking its followers to vote on the next target.
Earlier in the week, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett confirmed that his Telegram account had been hacked after Handala claimed to have accessed Bennett’s phone on Wednesday.
