BY RAFIA ZAKARIA &4 Hamas’s hackers TT has ot been a good century for the Palestinians. The trouble, some historians would say, began as long as 103 years ao with the Balfour Declaration that gave israeli Jews the right to establish a national homeland for the Jewish peo- ple. Less than 10 per cent of population atthe time In Palestine was Jewish, but that did not matter It Tas not mattered since either: not through. the British Protectorate that was established in 1920, not when the Jewish state of Isracl was actually (tablished in 1948 — and not at all since "The 70 or So years since have ought no respite ‘without bothering to evon talk to the Palestinians von lees to them than they have, They rojectod it immediately ‘With symmetrical efforts at negotiation mired in such doom, Palestinian groups lie Hamas seom to Ihave turned to's new form of attacking Israeli mil tary targets. Recently, the Israeli Defence Forces Claimed that Hamas backers had targeted Israeli Soldiers’ smartphones, ‘According to the IDF spokesman, the hackers used pictures of young women to attract the atten ton and interestof male soldiers The hackers (pos ing as women and using attractive pictures) then tied to strike up a friendship with the soldiers using various fake social media profiles. Ifthe sol dies took the bait, they were then asked to doves load a phone application from a link; using the excuse that the chat app sould help the women {ho said they were immigrants and did not speak Hebres) communicate with the soldiers Many soldiers did apparently download one of these apps. Tt was only many weeks later that Israel! intelligence realised that the apps were tar- sting many Israeli soldiers. Once installed, the apps introduced a malware virus that enabled it 0 Severe all the information on the smartphone. In Addition, it also enabled the hackers to remote manipulate the speech and camera funetionsof the martphone, allowing videos, ete to be made: with ‘out the knowledge of the phone's owner. Obviously, this allowed the hackers 10 access security details thar they would not otherwise have known, According to the IDF, the hack was discov ‘ered several months ago and soldiers were old to remove the applications. ‘The IDF have blamed the attack on Palestinian hackers associated with Hamas. Inthe words of one Israeli official “hostile actions taken by the Hamas Inthe virtual world have repercussions in the eal “world”. The widely-reported news sory is nat the Fret tine that Hamas has allegedly turned 10 eyborattacks against the Isracis It was only many weeks later that Israel realised that the apps were targeting its soldiers. plac. In that cas, the Israeli government, which Fofwsed to release details ofthe attack retaliated Uyundertaking an airstrike against the Palestinian Aeritoris and Hamas in particule. In anor [tock from 2016, hackers targeted the Israel tela. ‘sion show broadcast of Big Brother and inserted Footage of terrorist attacks, hich tld viewers ht ome * iacking, of course, sa erime and should not be promoted or touted, er it Is not stprising that Hamas seems to have turned to cyberattacks Having been classified as a errrist group by cy. tral Western sates the turn co asymmetrical war Fae Gnvehich the extent of military mirasructare fal firepower docs not matter) Stsin wath the pro. Fie ofthe group In the enseof thie particular nc dent, Hamas hackers were able to spread thle ne ‘wide and use previously whheard of tactic 10 ta fg soldiers and dupe them into providing them Siformation. ‘Thote i another reason Hamas would consider hacking to yield strategic henefitsfor itself. Unlike the bombings and rocket launches that cause human casualties and spread fear, hacking yields Information and salutes technical prowess. Over the decades, the Tsraell government has justified ‘draconian measures taken to imprison Palestinian populations in the West Bank and Gazacon the basis ‘oF the deaths that have occurred from these bomb- {ngs and rocket launches. A turn toward eyber war fare highlights the power that Palestinian hackers may postess to disrupt st bout acti ally raking Tsracl lives. attack aleo highlights just how stopid me ing Israci soldiers, are when it comes to befriend ing women via virtual moans. Allit took was a few {ako social media profiles and a few photographs of ‘women to ensnare men who were trained a5 20: ‘ders and were aware that the information they possessed on their smartphones o otherwise could be targeted by hackers. Not only did they fal into the trap, they had no idea that it was a trap unt Imuch Later, ‘Tho case of the Hamas hackers should alert foxior mon, including for instance Pakistani so: ‘ers, that their devices could be targoted using Similar tactics. Undoubtedly, there are many men in Pakistan, who would have also fallen for such a ‘scamor similar scamsthat pander to their egos and to the possiblity that random women may want to ‘peLto know them and to share pictures with them. ‘This bizarre melting together of human psyehok ‘ony and virtual technology Is a testament 10 the ‘odd world that we ive in, where the boundaries of the real andthe Unreal are constantly” being lured, and where women can laugh at men and their weaknesses exposed in the most “never before and astounding ways. The wir an attomey teaching constitional law arxipofical philosophy. ‘fia. zakaria@gmal.com