Hezbollah-affiliated financial org hacked, information leaked

A hacker group called Spiderz claimed that it has succeeded in hacking into Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial organization and leaked details on depositors and borrowers from the lender, Lebanese media reported on Tuesday.

The group released lists of clients and the organization's annual budget on its website, as well as a video announcing the hack on Saturday.

The information leaked included account numbers, government IDs and passport information, as well as registration forms, account statements and additional financial documents.

The leak also included details of bank accounts that the hacker group claims the organization owns in other Lebanese banks, including the Jammal Trust Bank, which was subjected to US sanctions last year for allegedly facilitating the financial activities of Hezbollah. The other banks listed could face US sanctions as well if the information is verified.

 

The hackers promised in the video to publish more information about the financial organization and other institutions affiliated with Hezbollah in the near future.

The identity and location of the hacker group is still unclear. A spokesperson for Al-Qard Al-Hassan told Asharq Al-Awsat that the organization is investigating the incident and denied that the hackers had access to any internal information and had only managed to access the association's external network.

"Al-Qard Al-Hassan officials do not know exactly who was behind this cyber-attack but they are certain that most of the information they disclosed are not accurate," said a source from the association to local news outlet The Daily Star.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar news called the cyberattack a "new aggression against the resistance."

Sources told Al-Akhbar that authorities believe that the attack was either carried out by foreign intelligence agencies or by local hackers with the help of former employees. As of Tuesday afternoon, the cyberattack was still ongoing and the organization is reportedly not the only Hezbollah-affiliated body being targeted, according to the news outlet.

Al-Qard Al-Hassan is sanctioned by the US and based in the southern suburbs of Beirut. It is registered as a non-governmental organization and gives interest-free loans in US dollars or Lebanese lira for customers who are either sponsored by a depositor or mortgage an object or gold jewelry, according to L'Orient Today. Customers must also pay administrative fees of about $3 per month, gold storage fees, and deposit $12 per month in a non-interest-bearing account.

In November, the association installed ATMs at some branches throughout Lebanon, allowing clients to bypass the country's banking sector, which imposed strict capital controls amid Lebanon's continuing economic crisis, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The association is not licensed by the Banque du Liban, the central bank of Lebanon, and therefore is not subject to its supervision.