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Israel: Cyber boss accidentally reveals his own identity
Scandal in an Israeli surveillance agency: A book led to the identity of Jossi Sariel now being revealed. photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
A security blunder results in the identity of the head of a powerful Israeli cyber unit being revealed. What happened?
A British media report has revealed the identity of the head of a powerful Israeli surveillance agency. The background was an “embarrassing security mistake,” wrote the newspaper “The Guardian”.
Jossi Sariel is said to have accidentally revealed his identity online. A book he allegedly published contained an anonymous email address. This leads to a private one Google account that should be in his name. The officer did not use the email address provided privately, not even in the past, the army said upon request.
According to the Guardian, several sources confirmed that Sariel was the author of the book in question, published under a pseudonym. The pseudonym contains the initials of the head of the elite cyber unit.
Error increases pressure on secret service
The army said disclosing the officer’s personal information was a mistake. “The matter is being reviewed to prevent similar cases from occurring again in the future.”
According to the Guardian, Sariel takes on “one of the most sensitive roles in the military.” The security error would likely put further pressure on him, the paper speculated. His department, valued for its intelligence capabilities, is already being criticized for failing to foresee the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7 last year.