The mission: Protecting Israel

Op-ed: Israeli hacker who leads group that hit Arab sites explains team's actions Have you ever thought of what goes through the mind of a general in charge of his soldiers when heading to battle? Who will be sent to the front, and who will remain close by because his presence is required for continuing the offensive? I've been pre-occupied with these kinds of thoughts in recent days. While we face a virtual battlefield, the decisions are the same – who will I "sacrifice" when I ask him to publish classified information, and who will I "dispatch" to strike the targets?


After the credit information of Israeli nationals was leaked, I was infuriated. I couldn't believe it was happening. How could it be that organizations that receive daily inquiries alerting them to such grave security lapses ignore them, until it's too late?


These alerts contribute nothing, and the common folk would continue to be harmed, so I therefore decided to take action. I formed a pro-Israeli group of hackers that would fire back against the threats directed at Israel in recent weeks.


Identifying people who wish to take part in the group's activity, which is illegal, took longer than expected. Most of my inquires were rejected for one reason: Israel's computer laws, whereby any online breach could result in a prison term of up to five years. However, eventually I managed to bring together a group of people who believe in the same principles and are wiling to sacrifice themselves if needed, in order to offer a proper response to the "Saudi hacker."

This is war

In the first stage, we struck several Saudi-owned shopping sites in order to elicit sensitive data that includes credit card information. Regrettably, we faced a difficult start. Most attacks failed to bear fruit and despair started to malign group members. Yet then came a surprising announcement from one teammate: "I found what we've been looking for."

We finally had a lead that allowed us to progress in order to elicit as many details as possible. As hours passed by, we managed to identify more and more sources of information. After a few more hours we had enough information to confront the "Saudi hacker." As a team, we came up with an "arsenal of responses" to guide our actions. From now on, all that's left is to wait for the right time and identify the right moment in order to utilize the information in our possession.


As the group's leader, it's very important for me to emphasize that we do not operate against any specific nationality, and any person who operates against the group's principles will be harmed, regardless of religion, creed or gender. In addition, I wish to note that the group regrets harm done to innocents and tries to avoid it as much as it possible. However, such moves are necessary in this war, and we have no choice but to do it.

Yoni, Israeli hacker

Published:  01.18.12, 01:23 / Israel Opinion Fisrt Published on Ynet