Iranian espionage attempts against Israeli soldiers on social networks

The process – an overview:

• Method:
  Catfishing is the practice of creating fake profiles on social media to gain information by building emotional relationships. This method is allegedly used by Iranian spies to deceive Israeli soldiers.
• Female Agent Network:
  According to Iran International, an Iranian opposition newspaper, this operation involves female agents trained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and fluent in Hebrew.
• Goal:
  The goal is to collect sensitive information for Hamas. The agents used false identities and distributed stolen content.
• Approach:
  The spies established contact with Israeli soldiers via fake profiles and simulated romantic relationships in order to obtain information about military operations and other sensitive details.
• IDF Countermeasures:
  The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has already uncovered similar tactics and repeatedly thwarted Hamas attempts to infiltrate soldiers' phones. In one case in 2020, the IDF responded by attacking Hamas servers that stored the stolen information.

The Iranian espionage attempts in detail:

Cyber ​​traps: Iran's intelligence game in social media

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has opened a new front in cyberwarfare: the use of so-called "decoys" on social media to gain intelligence from Israeli soldiers. This highly specialized form of espionage, known as “sex espionage,” uses fake profiles of attractive women to obtain sensitive military information.

The use of catfishing

Mashhad, a religious city in northeastern Iran, is home to several of these women who use social media to seduce Israeli soldiers with nude photos or provocative footage. Despite the belief that the names and details of these women are fake, the explicit photos and videos shared by them appear authentic. These cyber agents use a range of tactics, including wearing provocative clothing and sending nude photos, to lure their victims.

The scam of deception

Two of the Mashhad-based “swallows,” identified as Samira Baghbani Torshizi and Haniyeh Ghaffarian, used their real photos but posed as Israeli soldiers. Torshizi, who operated under the name “Or Olga,” claimed to be a Jewish immigrant to London. Ghaffarian attempted to form an emotional bond with an Israeli soldier by sending photos and videos.

IDF exposes Hamas network

The Israeli Ministry of Defense (IDF) announced that it had dismantled a network of Hamas supporters who were using fake social media profiles to collect information from IDF forces. These accounts engaged in a sort of romantic relationship with the soldiers in order to gather information for Hamas.

Historical context of sex espionage

Sexpionage (a portmanteau of “sex” and “espionage”) is a historically documented phenomenon and was a preferred method of Soviet intelligence. The female agents who used such tactics were known as 'swallows' while their male counterparts were known as 'ravens'. Iran has notoriously used such scams to lure or blackmail key figures.

Conclusion:

This case clearly shows how cutting-edge cyber technologies and traditional espionage tactics are merging in today's world. The use of catfishing by Iranian spies to obtain information from Israeli soldiers is a documented fact. This tactic is used to collect sensitive military information and poses a serious threat to the security of the Israeli Defense Forces.

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Source: iranintl.com

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