TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Three Israeli defense contractors behind the Iron Dome missile shield and related systems were robbed of hundreds of documents by hackers linked to the Chinese.
The three contractors are Elisra Group, Israel Aerospace Industry, and Rafael Advanced Defense System. They have been hacked since 2011 and 2012.
As reported by Reuters yesterday, information on the hacking of the three defense contractors were exposed by former Washington Post journalist Brian Krebs, who is a dedicated reporter in the field of intelligence and security.
In his blog, Krebs on Security, he explained about the first reported details of the intrusions on Tuesday that the hackers, known as the Comment Crew, managed to hack into the Iron Dome producer companies.
His report along with the Cyber Engineering Service (CyberESI), traced the intrusions into Israeli contractors and identified more than 700 stolen emails, documents and manuals pertaining to development of the Iron Dome project and other missile projects.
However the three weapons manufacturer denies that such incident ever occurred. An official at the third company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, who declined to be identified by name, said of the report: "Rafael does not recall such an incident. Rafael's databases, including its air defense databases, are extremely well protected.”
A former senior Israeli military official said assertions that these key defense contractors had been hacked would fit with a pattern of military and industrial espionage around the globe.
"The Chinese have been doing that to all defense contractors in the West, so if this really happened, we are not alone," said Uzi Rubin, a former head of missile defense at Israel’s Defense Ministry and now head of the Rubicon consultancy firm.
REUTERS |KREBSONSECURITY.COM | MARIA RITA