Master hacker infiltrated the Israel Defence Forces’ drones system so Hamas could spy on its troops
Maagad Ben Juwad Oydeh faces jail after using army's spy craft to enable terror group to target civilians and soldiers in real-time as it was firing rockets
A MASTER hacker who infiltrated the Israel Defence Force's drones system so Islamist terror group Hamas could spy on troops faces up to nine years in jail.
Maagad Ben Juwad Oydeh was convicted on several terror and cyber hacking charges by the Beersheba District Court in Israel.
The court was told how the computer expert hacked the IDF's drones hovering over Gaza, enabling Hamas commanders to view the drone video feed.
He was also charged with hacking the police and the transportation authority's video cameras, enabling Hams to locate civilians and troops in real-time as it was firing rockets during conflicts.
A plea bargain, which included dropping some charges, also contained a suggested jail sentence of nine years.
However, the court is not bound to the recommendation, reports.
Oydeh's hacking also allowed Islamic Jihad (IJ) to keep track of the movement of aeroplanes at Ben Gurion Airport and view the passenger list on incoming and outgoing flights.
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Known as a computer and electronics engineer and master hacker, he joined the terror group in 2011 and first successfully hacked into the IDF's drones as early as 2012.
Oydeh’s first contact with another terror group Islamic Jihad came in his father’s electronics store where he met one of their agents.
One of his first 'missions' was to hack into Israel’s transportation authority cameras, the court heard.
Oydeh gained access so the IJ agent could view their video feed on his laptop and even record the feed.
Next he was requested to hack into the IDF’s drones flying over Gaza.
Oydeh purchased all of the required machinery and technology for hacking into the drones from the US and worked on the project for weeks.
He failed twice before finally succeeding on the third try.
After the hacking, Oydeh could also pinpoint the GPS coordinates of all the IDF drones.
They continued hacking into the drones from 2012 until 2014 when their hacking was blocked.
Moving into other areas for the group, from 2014 until September 2015, Oydeh administered loans to Islamic Jihad members using funds provided by Iran.
He was paid a monthly salary for his work by the group.
Up until his arrest in 2016, Oydeh continued to repair and upgrade the organisations’ computers, video cameras and technology.
Oydeh was also charged with spying, conspiracy, contact with enemy agents and membership of an illegal organisation.
