Iran-linked hackers publish personal data on US Marines in Mideast
The Iranian-linked hacker group Handala on Tuesday published what it says are the names and phone numbers of 2,379 U.S. Marines stationed around the Persian Gulf. The leak came shortly after U.S. troops in the Middle East began receiving threatening messages from Handala.
In a post to its website, the group said it published the data to prove the extent of its “intelligence superiority.”
“This is just a drop in the ocean of our surveillance capabilities,” the post said. “The ‘security’ that American commanders boast about is nothing more than an empty illusion, a childish fantasy.”
Since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began in late February, Handala has claimed responsibility for numerous high-profile cyberattacks.
Late last month, the group published more than 300 emails from the personal Gmail inbox of FBI Director Kash Patel. Handala also carried out a cyberattack against the U.S.-based medical equipment company Stryker that caused data to be wiped from tens of thousands of employee computers and cell phones across the globe.
U.S. Central Command referred Straight Arrow to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which did not reply when asked about Handala’s latest leak.
Threatening messages
Handala says the latest leak represents just a sample of a data cache containing the identities of tens of thousands of American military personnel in the Mideast. Handala also claims to have detailed knowledge of their “families, home addresses, bases, daily commutes, shopping habits, and even their nightly leisure activities.”
The list was published after U.S. service members began receiving threatening messages over WhatsApp from the hacker group. The messages, as reported by Stars and Stripes, warned military personnel that they were under surveillance.
“Your identities are fully known to our missile units, and every move you make is under our surveillance,” one message read. “Very soon, you will be targeted by our Shahed drones and Kheibar and Ghadeer missiles. We will deal with you, the terrorists whose hands are stained with the blood of the Minab schoolchildren. We suggest you call your families now and say your final goodbyes.”
Similar threatening messages said to be from Handala were also sent on Monday to residents in Israel, The Jerusalem Post reported.
‘Malicious’ hack
Straight Arrow analyzed the data sample published by the hackers and found numerous entries that contained invalid information, such as incomplete phone numbers and what appeared to be military contract numbers instead of names.
Calls to two dozen phone numbers from the list primarily reached automated voice messaging systems. In three instances, names mentioned on voicemails matched those from the list.
Straight Arrow reached one individual who confirmed their name but hung up after being informed about the alleged leak. Another person told Straight Arrow they could not answer questions, while a third offered to provide information for the U.S. Navy’s public affairs officer.
Earlier this month, Navy Secretary John Phelan told all sailors to lock down their phones and social media accounts to guard against phishing attacks.
“These actors seek to psychologically influence [Navy] personnel and their families, and also seek to trick personnel into clicking on/opening potentially malicious links and files,” Phelan wrote.
Handala has long presented itself as a pro-Palestine hacktivist group. But cybersecurity firms and, most recently, the Department of Justice, have said the hackers are nothing more than a front group for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
While the U.S. government has seized multiple domains belonging to Handala, the group continues to create new domains and remains active on platforms like Telegram.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
