Russia supplied Iran with advanced telephony hacking technology

News on Channel 12 reported on Saturday that Russia recently provided Iran with advanced technology that allows remote hacking of mobile phones without the victim taking action. Currently, most hacking phones are based on malware Trojan which "comes down" on its own and infects the device after the user gets confused and clicks on a link or opens a file.

The report, citing cyber professionals, said that the so-called zero-click technology allows hackers to access sensitive systems without user interaction.

The report came three days after news broke that the cell phone of "Blue and White" party leader Benny Gantz had been hacked by Iran.

Yaniv Balmas, head of cyber research at Check Point Software Technologies, told the Globes on Saturday that Gantz's phone appeared to have been hacked "in a zero-click attack".

In such attacks, he said, "it's enough for the attacker to know the target phone number. If, for example, the attacker knows that the target is using an iPhone and is aware of a vulnerability in a particular element of his cellular modem iPhone Or it's enough to send a text to the phone to gain control. "

Channel 12 news reported on Thursday that Gantz, a former military chief, was approached five weeks ago by security officials Shin Bet, who informed him that his personal telephone had been violated by Iran after his official entry into politics in December.

Shin Bet's agents told Gantz that the hackers in Tehran owned his personal data and messages and that he had to assume that any sensitive information on the phone could be used against him in the future. They told him to go as he thinks fit.

Blue and White, and Gantz himself, stressed that there was no sensitive information on the phone and noted that he was forfeited four years after being retired by an army chief.

In January, Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman warned that a foreign state "intends to intervene" in the upcoming Israeli elections on April 9.

A few days later, Russia said it had no plans to interfere in the vote, while a Kremlin spokesman said Moscow "has never interfered in the elections in any country."