Mediation efforts led by Arab nations to secure the release of Israelis held by Hamas and a ceasefire in Gaza have been interrupted by cyber attacks from Iran, a cybersecurity firm said.
As reported yesterday in the article highlighting the attacks discovered by the firm According to Israeli Dream, Iranian cybercriminals infiltrated diplomatic networks in the Middle East during ceasefire negotiations in Cairo and compromised sensitive international communications.
The spear-phishing campaign, disguised as a communication from the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was carried out by the Homeland Justice group associated with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, it said. The email sent by the alleged Iranian hackers targeted Egyptian officials, representatives of the United States, and Qatar.
After gaining access to the legitimate email account of an employee of the Omani Embassy in Paris, cybercriminals sent emails that appeared to be authentic diplomatic correspondence, but were infected with malware hidden within Word documents.
According to Dream, the email recipients included Egyptian officials involved in ceasefire mediation, as well as representatives of the United States and Qatar. Ten international organizations, including the UN, UNODC, UNICEF, the World Bank, the Order of Malta, and the African Union, were also targeted by Iranian hackers, the company said.
Dream noted that the Iranian cyberattack was similar to a 2023 cyberattack in Albania, also attributed to Iranian actors, suggesting a broader geopolitical pattern in which cyber tools are being used to disrupt diplomatic engagement. The revelation comes at a time when the Gaza ceasefire agreement is stuck in limbo due to Israel’s lack of response.
On August 18, Hamas accepted the ceasefire agreement, proposed by mediators from Qatar and Egypt. The agreement called for a 60-day cessation of Israeli military operations, during which it would withdraw to allow humanitarian aid to enter. As part of the agreement, half of the remaining 50 prisoners would be exchanged for Palestinian detainees.
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