Posted on December 2, 2020 at 2:35 PM
Hackers Expose Personal Details from Israeli’s Shirbit Insurance Firm
A recent report revealed that hackers infiltrate the servers of Israeli Insurance firm Shirbit and exposed customers’ personal details. The personal details include the drivers’ license, ID numbers, and registration forms.
The hackers have also claimed to have stolen the personal details of the customers of the Insurance Company, many of whom are civil servants.
Yesterday, both the Israel National Cyber Directorate and Capital Markets Authority issued a joint statement, confirming the breach on the insurance company. They also confirmed customers’ details were also leaked following the breach.
An investigation into the attack is underway
According to the statement, both authorities along with the cybersecurity branch of the insurance firm have begun an investigation into the possible cyber attack.
The National Cyber Directorate said during the initial probe on the attack, it discovered that customers’ insurance details were also exposed.
The insurance firm provides insurance and financial service to many civil servants and government employees in the country, including Gilad Noitel, who is the president of the Tel Aviv District Court.
The group claims all customer IDs have been hacked
A hacker group claimed to be BlackShadow hacking group has already claimed the attack. “There has been a massive attack on the network infrastructure of Shirbit Company, which is in Israel’s economic sphere,” the group said.
Besides, the group revealed emails and forms containing personal information such as names and addresses. The tweeted message also includes photos of drivers’ license and ID cards, and other additional data.
According to the BlackShadow group, the attack resulted in severe damage to the firm’s data centers, all the IDs of the employees and customers have been compromised.
The hacking group also sent a Telegram message, disclosing that other targets it wants to attack will be disclosed after the attack. They added that the Insurance company attack was carried out mainly for financial extortion, but no further detail was provided.
However, the customers’ details were hacked did not include credit card details, according to Israeli officials.
The group further stated that it had provided financial statements, subscribers’ identity documents, as well as other related documents from the stolen data available for downloads.
According to a senior company executive at Shirbit who wants to remain anonymous, it’s not clear who perpetrated the attack. He added that they had to take down the company’s servers and website to prevent further attacks.
Shirbit’s main areas of business include travel insurance, auto, and real estate. Last month, the insurance company was given a contract to provide insurance cover to the civil servants in the country for 2021.
Hacking incident an attack on the Israeli economy
Shirbit says the incident is an “attack on Israel’s economy”, which is one of several attacks on Israeli companies lately.
Some of the details from the hacked data have been published on the hackers’ Telegram group and Twitter account, in a bid to pressurized Shirbit to pay ransom for the stolen data.
Although the hacker has not made any ransom demand, they have already indicated that the purpose of their attack was to make money. There is no indication whether they tend to explore the company for money or want to sell the personal details to the highest bidder on the darknet. But most times, hackers involved in such data-stealing activity usually publish a portion of the data before seeking ransom payments from the victim.
Chief Executive Officer of Shirbit Zvi Leibushor, said the company always makes the safety of its clients a priority, as it’s one of the top insurance companies in Israel.
He pointed out that the company has spent millions to provide security and defend itself against cyber attacks. But, unfortunately, a threat actor has found a loophole to exploit and steal the company’s data. He said the firm is undergoing a thorough investigation into the breach.
Presently, Shirbit is spending a lot of resources to provide a more efficient solution to cyberattacks, Leibushor reiterated.