TEL AVIV – The Islamic State plans to attack U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, an Israeli cyber-intelligence company that claims to have hacked the terror group’s communications warned on Wednesday.
Intsights, an intelligence company run by former IDF intelligence officers, hacked into the Islamic State’s account on Telegram, an encrypted messaging platform on the dark web. The organization uses the platform to disseminate targets and terror attack plans to its 500 leading operatives, the Times of Israel reported, citing Israel’s Channel 10.
Among the targets uploaded to the group was the church in Normandy, France where a local priest was murdered on July 26 by terrorists claiming allegiance to IS.
“Telegram is completely encrypted and there’s no fear (among its users) that someone will intercept the messages and understand what you wrote,” Intsights co-founder Arvatz told Channel 10.
A list of “extremely specific targets” was published, including air force bases in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and other countries of Western Europe, as well as Israeli air force bases.
Arvatz added that there were a number of “priority targets” including air fields in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia that are being used by the U.S.-led coalition to attack IS targets.
Arvatz did not explain exactly how his company managed to hack into the group, but said that you have to be introduced by someone within the group in order to be accepted.
“I need to know someone who can vouch for me that I’m cleared for the group, and only then can I join,” he said.
Arvatz added that the Telegram group would doubtless be shut down now that the lid had been blown on Israeli television.
The Insights hack is the second known hack on the Telegram platform in a week.
On Tuesday, the Verge reported that 15 million Iranian users of Telegram were hacked by a group believed to be affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps.