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Israeli Blogger Claims Found The "Saudi" Hacker: Ox-Omar

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Where in the world is Omar the hacker?

Israeli blogger claims to have found the "Saudi" hacker: a 19-year-old from Mexico • Security companies: group of hackers responsible • Danny Ayalon: "Exposing credit card numbers – an act of terror" • Israel Police arrest man for using exposed data.

Hackers and security companies in Israel were busy over the weekend searching for the hacker who published the credit card numbers of thousands of Israelis. An analysis of Internet traffic led to six possible hackers in various countries. One of the hackers was positively identified as a Croatian resident – a second, from Mexico. The others have yet to be identified.

Israeli blogger Amir Fadida published on his blog over the weekend that the hacker is Omar Habib, a 19-year-old resident of Mexico involved in pro-Palestinian activities.

"His biggest mistake," wrote Fadida, "was contacting media outlets in Israel from the same email address he used to brag about his 'achievements.'"

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"I found his full name, where he lives, his place of birth, where he went to high school and university and even where he works. I hope the investigation bears fruit, maybe even an extradition to Israel and trial," Fadida added.

The hacker, identifying himself as Saudi-based OxOmar, said on Thursday he had leaked private information about more than 400,000 Israelis. Credit card companies said between 21,000 and 25,000 numbers, some of them expired, had been posted as of Friday. Israeli information security companies took similar action to follow the trail of the "Saudi" hacker, reaching five other hackers with similar profiles.

According to Shai Blitzblau, CEO of Maglan Information Defense Technologies, the six posts claimed by the hacker were actually not made by only one person. "In order to find the right person you need tools that only law enforcement agencies have," Blitzblau said.

Meanwhile, as the nation scrambles to locate the hacker, or group of hackers, the cyberattack on Israel continues. A new computer file containing more credit card numbers was published on the Internet on Jan. 6, this time booby-trapped with a file suspected to function as a "Trojan horse." If one opens the file while checking to see if their credit card information was stolen, the file is liable to damage their computer. Leumi Card Ltd. said that the new list likely contained credit card numbers that had already been exposed in recent days.

Following an examination of the exposed credit card lists, it was determined that they are comprised of a collection of data taken from some 200 hacks to websites in Israel over the past year, including sites belonging to Pizza Hut and homeless.co.il, an Internet marketplace for apartment rentals and second-hand items.

The owner and CEO of homeless.co.il, Tal Dror, said that it has not been proven that credit card numbers were taken from his site. At press time, Pizza Hut had not responded.

Such cyberattacks are "a breach of sovereignty comparable to a terrorist operation, and must be treated as such," Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said in a speech, adding that Israel had not yet ruled out the possibility that the hacking had been carried out by a group "more organized and sophisticated ... than a lone youth."

Israel would strike back against the breach, Ayalon added. "Israel has active capabilities for striking at those who are trying to harm it, and no agency or hacker will be immune from retaliatory action," he said, "the violent infiltration of [Israel's] cyberspace is an act of terror and that's how it should be treated. Anyone who has harmed or wants to harm Israel, not excluding its cyberspace, will be harmed and not be immune from Israeli responses."

Attorney Yoram Hacohen, the head of the Justice Ministry's Law, Information and Technology Authority, said that an investigation had been opened to pinpoint the hacker's location. "We will request an extradition only after a body of evidence has been gathered, as well as many other pending conditions, but we are not yet at this stage," Hacohen said.

While government officials and credit card companies said the financial damage was minimal, the breaches were welcomed by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and have heightened concerns about the potential use of stolen information by the Jewish state's foes.

An aide to Ayalon, Lital Shochat, said Israel was aware of the report but had not yet requested help from Mexican authorities.

Hamas, an Islamist group that sees itself as locked in holy war with Israel but has hinted it could curb armed attacks as part of reconciliation talks with more moderate Palestinian rivals, described OxOmar's actions as "a new form of resistance."

"We urge Arab youth to ignore these cowardly Israeli threats and to use all means available in the virtual space to confront Israeli crimes," Hamas Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Israel Police arrested Sunday an individual from northern Israel who allegedly used some of the exposed credit card numbers for unauthorized transactions online, Israel Radio reported Sunday.

According to the report, the man allegedly downloaded the list of numbers published last week by the hackers and used some of the data to purchase home theater equipment, a computer and a cellphone. He was arrested after the items were delivered to him by an undercover officer.

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