Handala Hacktivist Group Exposes Israeli Drone Commander in Major Data Breach
On April 7, the cyber-activist collective Handala announced a significant data breach, revealing the identity and classified operations of Vered Haimovich, a retired Israeli Air Force (IAF) colonel and commander of the secretive "Squadron 166." According to the leak, Haimovich was personally appointed by Eyal Zamir, Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Defense, to oversee the unit, which serves as the central hub for planning and executing drone strikes targeting strategic locations in Iran.
The breach also ties Haimovich to Elbit Systems, where he allegedly leads the development of the "Hermes" drone program, a high-priority unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) project. Handala’s statement included a cryptic reference to a past incident in Uzbekistan, accusing Haimovich of accepting €40,000 in exchange for access to Elbit’s surveillance systems an alleged espionage act that the group claims set the stage for their current disclosures.
In a first-of-its-kind exposure, Handala released an image of the core Hermes drone development team, breaking years of strict secrecy surrounding the project. The group framed the leak as the opening salvo in a broader campaign to uncover hidden aspects of Israel’s military and security operations, warning that additional names and details would be published soon. The breach underscores the growing threat of hacktivist-driven intelligence leaks targeting state-backed defense programs.
Source: https://wanaen.com/top-secret-data-of-israels-squadron-166-chief-leaked-by-handala/
Elbit Systems cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/elbitsystems
Israeli Ministry of Defense cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/israelimod
"id": "ELBISR1775566798",
"linkid": "elbitsystems, israelimod",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "4/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "8",
"explanation": "Attack that could bring to a war"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Military/Defense',
'location': 'Israel',
'name': 'Vered Haimovich',
'type': 'Individual'},
{'industry': 'Military/Defense',
'location': 'Israel',
'name': 'Israeli Air Force (IAF) Squadron 166',
'type': 'Military Unit'},
{'industry': 'Defense/Aerospace',
'location': 'Israel',
'name': 'Elbit Systems',
'type': 'Organization'},
{'industry': 'Defense/Government',
'location': 'Israel',
'name': 'Israel Ministry of Defense',
'type': 'Government'}],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes (image of drone development team '
'released)',
'file_types_exposed': ['Images'],
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes (name, role, and '
'identity of military '
'commander)',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (military secrets, espionage '
'allegations)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personal identities',
'Classified military operations',
'Drone program details']},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-04-07',
'description': 'On April 7, the cyber-activist collective Handala announced a '
'significant data breach, revealing the identity and '
'classified operations of Vered Haimovich, a retired Israeli '
'Air Force (IAF) colonel and commander of the secretive '
"'Squadron 166.' The breach exposed Haimovich's role in "
'overseeing drone strikes targeting strategic locations in '
"Iran and his involvement in Elbit Systems' 'Hermes' drone "
'program. Handala also released an image of the core Hermes '
'drone development team and accused Haimovich of past '
'espionage in Uzbekistan.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Significant reputational damage to '
'Israeli defense and military '
'institutions',
'data_compromised': 'Classified military operations, personal '
'identities, drone program details',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (personal identity of military '
'commander exposed)',
'operational_impact': 'Exposure of secret military unit and drone '
'program'},
'motivation': 'Hacktivism, Exposure of State-Backed Military Operations',
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-04-07',
'source': 'Handala Hacktivist Group Announcement'}],
'threat_actor': 'Handala Hacktivist Group',
'title': 'Handala Hacktivist Group Exposes Israeli Drone Commander in Major '
'Data Breach',
'type': 'Data Breach'}