Hamas hacking Fatah members' phones, claims Israeli cyber firm

An Israeli cyber firm claimed it has evidence Hamas planted spyware in mobile phones used by members of rival group Fatah.

According to Tel Aviv based ClearSky, Arid Viper, a hacker group affiliated with Hamas has hacked Fatah's official website and has replaced the link to its application for Android with a mirror app that contains the spyware.

The software "accesses information throughout the device, including text messages and emails; it can record conversations and prevent the phone from disconnecting itself from the app," Boaz Dolev, CEO of ClearSky, told Israel Hayom.

"As part of our cyber-monitoring operations, conducted in an effort to alert our clients to potential attacks, we discovered that the link to Fatah's application on Android, which is accessible through the organisation's website, was replaced with another link which installs spyware on users' phones," Dolev added.

Dolev noted this development suggested Hamas is upgrading its hacking abilities.

"This is a step up – it involved hacking into their website, and embedding their [Arid Viper's] software in it. This took planning," Dolev said.

At the weekend, Hamas accused the Israeli spy agency Mossad of killing a Palestinian academic in Malaysia.

Fadi Albatsh, a 35-year-old electrical engineer from the Gaza Strip, was on his way to a nearby mosque for dawn prayers at around 6am when two men on a motorcycle fired at him, killing him on the spot.

Media affiliated to the Palestinian movement blamed Mossad for the assassination. Hamas said Albatsh was a "martyr who was characterised by his excellence and scientific creations" and vowed revenge for his killing.