Israel has accused Hamas of building fake dating apps to woo soldiers into downloading malicious software on to their mobile phones.
Hundreds of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops were contacted via social media this year and asked to download one of two fake dating apps, WinkChat and GlanceLove, according to an official in the army's intelligence directorate.
Once the bogus app was installed, it gained control of the phone, including the ability to share the owner's location and contact list, as well as function as a listening device and video camera.
"Whatever you can do with your phone, the malicious content can do," the official said at a briefing to journalists on Tuesday, adding the operation targeted Android smartphones.
The soldiers were contacted via phony Facebook accounts, often with the stolen identities of young women, asking to chat on Whatsapp. They were then shared links to the apps, which were uploaded to the real Google Play Store but have now been removed.
He said a third sham app, called Golden Cup and promoted as a World Cup live scores and fixtures aid, was advertised to soldiers in Hebrew on Facebook. The programme streamed videos of impressive goals from previous tournaments and listed details about each team.
"It was actually a very good one," the official said.
Many soldiers had downloaded the apps. While it did not provide an exact figure, the military said "less than a hundred" installed at least one programme on their phones.
The IDF, which had been monitoring the hack for months, called its operation Broken Heart as it claimed the honeytrap had failed to seduce its soldiers effectively. It said both serving men and women were targeted.
Hamas attempted a similar strategy in January 2017 but used less advanced apps sold as social chatting programmes, according to the military.
An official for Hamas, the Palestinian militant and political faction that runs the Gaza Strip, declined to comment.
