How Islamic Jihad Hacked Israel’s Drones

For at least two years, the Palestinian terror group Islamic Jihad could see what the Israeli military’s surveillance drones saw. That’s the accusation of Israeli prosecutors, who this week arrested a man they saw hacked into the drones’ video feeds. If true, the hack had obvious value to terrorist leaders as they planned their operations against Israeli troops and civilians.

Israeli authorities arrested the alleged hacker, 23-year-old Maagad Ben Juwad Oydeh, this year. On March 23 the Beersheba District Court indicted Oydeh on charges of spying, conspiracy, contact with enemy agents, and membership in an illegal organization.

The Israeli press has referred to Oydeh as a “master hacker.” But his alleged crimes were, on a technical level, probably far less impressive than whatever methods the Israelis used to appprehend him. In fact, American drones were for years succeptible to the same kind of hacks.

Israeli authorities have provided only the barest details of Oydeh’s background and alleged crimes. Press reports citing the indictment claim Oydeh first came into contact with Islamic Jihad while working in his father’s electronics store in Gaza.

The terror group reportedly provided Oydeh a satellite dish for picking up radio signals and a frequency counter for pinpointing the signals’ location on the electromagnetic spectrum.

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/25/how-islamic-jihad-hacked-israel-s-drones.html