House cleaner for Israel's Gantz charged over Iranian spying attempt
Israeli authorities say Omri Goren Gorochovsky reached out to an Iranian-linked hacking group and offered to install malware on the defense minister's computer.
A house cleaner working for Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has been charged for allegedly offering to spy for an Iranian-linked hacker group, the Israeli Justice Ministry said Thursday.
Israeli authorities arrested Omri Goren Gorochovsky, 37, on Nov. 4, according to the newly released indictment. Gorochovsky, who began working in Gantz’s home outside Tel Aviv in 2018, is charged with espionage and faces 10-15 years in prison. Because he didn’t gain access to classified materials, Gorochovsky wasn’t charged with sharing state secrets.
The indictment says that on or around Oct. 31 Gorochovsky used the messaging app Telegram to contact “a figure affiliated with Iran and offered to help him in different ways, in light of his access to the minister’s home,” including by installing malware on Gantz’s computer in exchange for a “monetary sum.”
The figure was reportedly a member of Black Shadow, a hacking group suspected of affiliation with Iran that most recently released a trove of data from an Israel-based LGBTQ dating site after its ransom demand of $1 million wasn’t met.
