On Friday posts were published on the internet containing what appeared to be the personal information of Israeli Olympic athletes.
As the Times of Israel reports, information including athletes’ names, phone numbers, addresses, passwords, family relationships, photographs, military status and blood test results were published on Telegram.
The hackers also created a website and Twitter account in an attempt to distribute the information to a wider audience. Both have now been taken down.
The data leak, which was by a hacking group calling itself “Zeus”, appears to have been part of an online campaign designed to intimidate Israeli participants in the Olympic Games currently being held in Paris.
According to posts made by Zeus, at least some of the leaked information was gleaned from a hack at National Sports Center of Israel – which is presumably the source of athlete’s travel documents.
Some Israeli athletes have reportedly received death threats via email.
France’s anti-cybercrime division (OFAC) has been tasked with investigating the security breach, and removing the sensitive information from the internet.
News of the doxxing comes amid continued concern raised by Israel’s officials about potential security threats during the Olympic Games. Last week Israel claimed that Iran is plotting to target citizens attending the Olympic Games in Paris, as well as its athletes participating in events.