Former PM Naftali Bennett’s X Account Posts Suspicious Scam Link In Apparent Hack
A suspicious post appeared on Naftali Bennett’s official X account on Thursday, sparking immediate concern among followers. The message read: “The Israel News App is now available. Download it and share your thoughts. Exclusive to Israelis. Currently available only on Windows.”
The post included an external link that raised red flags within minutes. Users quickly warned that it resembled phishing campaigns commonly used to spread spyware or harvest personal data. Cybersecurity professionals later concluded that Bennett’s account had likely been compromised by hackers attempting to leverage his credibility to lure users into clicking on a potentially dangerous link.
This is not the first time Bennett’s social media has been targeted. A similar breach occurred in 2020 while he was serving as defense minister, when his account briefly displayed Palestinian and Turkish flags with the slogan “Free Palestine.” That intrusion was resolved within minutes after control was restored by Twitter or his team.
As with that earlier hack, experts believe the intent of Thursday’s attackers was to create confusion and misuse Bennett’s public image to distribute fraudulent links. These types of links may appear legitimate but can redirect users to malicious websites that attempt to install harmful software or trick them into surrendering passwords, credit card details, or other sensitive information.
In some cases, merely clicking on such a link can activate spyware capable of granting intruders remote access to the victim’s messages, photos, or files. Specialists caution that fake links are often disguised as coming from trustworthy sources through social media, WhatsApp, or email. They urge people to double-check links before clicking, since scam sites frequently contain subtle typos, extra symbols, or strange domain extensions.
To protect against similar threats, cybersecurity experts advise enabling two-factor authentication for all accounts, ensuring that every login requires a secondary code sent to a phone or authentication app. They also recommend using unique passwords for each platform, avoiding unfamiliar links, and installing apps only from verified stores such as Apple’s App Store or Google Play.
{Matzav.com}
