Ashkelon man accused of infecting hundreds of computers, stealing sensitive data, hijacking webcams

Officers from Israel Police's Lahav 433 - The National Crime Unit's cyber division concluded an investigation into a 44-year-old Ashkelon resident who had infected hundreds of computers belonging to dozens of companies with malware since 2020, police announced on Monday.

Police officers arrested the suspect on August 18 following a "complex analytical and technological investigation" in order to identify and locate them, police noted.

The suspect used the malware to gain control of the victims' computers, which police say enabled him to capture thousands of screenshots and screen recordings, hijack webcams and computer microphones, and record videos of victims in both their workplaces and their private homes.

Police say the suspect also downloaded files and extracted passwords, credit card details, and other sensitive information from the victims.

The suspect is also accused of recording minors, including capturing and storing nude images of underage victims.

As part of their investigations, police officers took statements from nearly 60 victims, as well as representatives from Incident Response firms that provided services to the companies affected by the breaches, police noted.

Suspected hacker caused over NIS 2 million in damages, Israel Police say

Police calculated that the incident also caused over NIS 2 million in cumulative financial damages to the affected companies.

The State Attorney's Office filed an indictment with the Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court and a request to extend the detention of the suspect until the conclusion of proceedings, police stated.