A terrorist's dream come true: Personal details posted online pertaining to soldiers from classified IDF units participating in Tiberias Marathon • IDF spokesperson: "Marathon organizers weren't careful, despite instructions."
Lilach Shoval

The names of dozens of Israel Defense Forces officers and soldiers, some of whom serve in elite and classified units, could have been found online in the past 24 hours, along with their ranks and unit numbers. The information was first published on Thursday after the city of Tiberias held its annual marathon, in which soldiers traditionally participate.

The classified information found its way online after marathon organizers published the results of the race. The leaked information consisted of the names and ranks of soldiers and officers serving in Sayeret Matkal (the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) and from Unit 8200 of Military Intelligence (the IDF's wiretapping unit), as well as from units unknown to the general public.

In recent months, the defense establishment, particularly the IDF, has invested vast resources in the field of cyber warfare. The IDF's Teleprocessing Branch is responsible for cyber defense, while Military Intelligence is responsible for cyber offense.

The IDF takes especially meticulous precautions to prevent the exposure of names and photographs of soldiers who serve in classified units such as Sayeret Matkal, Israel Air Force and others. For years, the army has deemed the issue to be of the utmost importance and the IDF Censor forbids publication of such information for fear it could be damaging to the state's sensitive and classified information.

The IDF forbids, for example, soldiers from publishing details about their military service on social media websites (such as Facebook) and regularly instructs units on how to protect information from being leaked.

Thursday's publication of the soldiers' classified information sparked anger within the IDF, especially considering the growing use of cyberwarfare by terrorists seeking to harm Israel. The Internet being used as a new form of warfare against Israel was made evident most recently after a Saudi hacker last week exposed the credit card numbers of thousands of Israelis.

After the accidental publication of the soldiers' names by Tiberias Marathon organizers on Thursday, the IDF Spokesperson's Office said, "We're talking about a private website, which, through a lapse of attention and as a result of human error, published the information. The IDF regrets that the publishers were not more careful, despite the clear instructions they received prior to the incident."

The names of dozens of Israel Defense Forces officers and soldiers, some of whom serve in elite and classified units, could have been found online in the past 24 hours, along with their ranks and unit numbers. The information was first published on Thursday after the city of Tiberias held its annual marathon, in which soldiers traditionally participate.

The classified information found its way online after marathon organizers published the results of the race. The leaked information consisted of the names and ranks of soldiers and officers serving in Sayeret Matkal (the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) and from Unit 8200 of Military Intelligence (the IDF's wiretapping unit), as well as from units unknown to the general public.

In recent months, the defense establishment, particularly the IDF, has invested vast resources in the field of cyber warfare. The IDF's Teleprocessing Branch is responsible for cyber defense, while Military Intelligence is responsible for cyber offense.

The IDF takes especially meticulous precautions to prevent the exposure of names and photographs of soldiers who serve in classified units such as Sayeret Matkal, Israel Air Force and others. For years, the army has deemed the issue to be of the utmost importance and the IDF Censor forbids publication of such information for fear it could be damaging to the state's sensitive and classified information.

The IDF forbids, for example, soldiers from publishing details about their military service on social media websites (such as Facebook) and regularly instructs units on how to protect information from being leaked.

Thursday's publication of the soldiers' classified information sparked anger within the IDF, especially considering the growing use of cyberwarfare by terrorists seeking to harm Israel. The Internet being used as a new form of warfare against Israel was made evident most recently after a Saudi hacker last week exposed the credit card numbers of thousands of Israelis.

After the accidental publication of the soldiers' names by Tiberias Marathon organizers on Thursday, the IDF Spokesperson's Office said, "We're talking about a private website, which, through a lapse of attention and as a result of human error, published the information. The IDF regrets that the publishers were not more careful, despite the clear instructions they received prior to the incident."

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=2654