Until recently, the identity of the head of Israel’s elite cyber unit Unit 8200 was a closely guarded secret for security reasons. Now he stumbled over his own carelessness.
Yossi Sariel, the name of the now no longer anonymous brigadier general, made an ’embarrassing security mistake’ according to the British ‘Guardian’. Sariel accidentally revealed his identity online, the newspaper revealed.
Email led to names
Because a book he published on the Amazon platform contained an anonymous email address. This leads to a private Google account in his name.
The commander did not use the provided email address privately, but only in connection with the book, the newspaper quoted an Israeli army spokesman as saying. According to the Guardian, several sources have confirmed that Sariel was the author of the book in question, published under a pseudonym. The pseudonym is probably not particularly cleverly chosen: it is ‘Brigadier General YS’ and therefore contains the initials of the head of the elite cyber unit.
According to Israeli media, the military called the disclosure of Sariel’s personal information a mistake. The matter is therefore being investigated.
The unit is already under pressure
According to the Guardian, Sariel fills “one of the most sensitive roles in the military.” The security blunder was likely to put further pressure on him, the newspaper speculated. His department, valued for its intelligence capabilities, is already being criticized for failing to foresee the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7 last year.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
