Head of Cybersecurity at "Hamat" Group Charged with Widespread Hacking

The State Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against Michael Bar, a resident of Ashkelon and the former head of information security for the "Hamat" group of companies. Bar was arrested three weeks ago and is accused of infecting the computer systems of 26 companies, two kibbutzim, and private individuals with malware. He allegedly sent thousands of remote commands and stole passwords, correspondence, confidential business information, and recordings from cameras and microphones.

According to the indictment, after learning his cyberattack had been discovered, Bar used artificial intelligence to develop a more sophisticated malicious program to continue stealing sensitive business and personal data. The 43-year-old is alleged to have systematically created, distributed, and used malware as a tool for cyberattacks from 2019 until his arrest last month.

On April 30, Bar, in his capacity as head of security for "Hamat," was contacted by the National Cyber Directorate, which was investigating a large-scale attack on Israeli companies and suspected "Hamat" was also a victim. He was informed of the incident details and given a tool to search for malware within the company's systems. Bar continued to communicate with investigators for about two more weeks, during which time he developed a new, more advanced program and deployed it within the infrastructure of other companies.

The prosecution estimates the damage to the companies amounts to approximately 1.5 million shekels. The indictment also details years of deep intrusion into the private lives of employees and their families, including the use of computer cameras and microphones in homes, bedrooms, and even a hotel room without the subjects' knowledge.