Hacker Claims to Have Stolen the Personal Data of 75% of Israel's Population

The hacker uses the name Sangkancil and maintains that they stole the data from CITY4U, a website used by local officials to process property taxes, fines, and utility bills. 'Sang Kancil' is a traditional fable popular in Indonesia and Malaysia about a small and cunning mouse-deer.

A hacker, using the name Sangkancil, claims to have stolen the personal information of some seven million Israelis.

If the claims are true, it would be one of the largest privacy breaches in Israeli history and would mean the personal information of approximately 75% of the nation’s 9.3 million population has been compromised, The Times of Israel reported.

In one message the hacker, in reference to Rosh Hashanah, wrote, “This is my first surprise for the Jewish new year. Enjoy!”

The hacker has offered the data for sale and has hinted that they will drop more information in the coming days.

The hacker first claimed to have made the attack on Sunday through the use of a Telegram messaging application account. On Monday, they released images of documents, such as Israeli identity cards, driver’s licenses and tax bills, as a means of proving their claim.

According to The Times of Israel, the state's National Cyber Directorate offered a statement claiming that the leaked information was out of date.