Cyber Incident Victim: ELTA Systems Limited
Date:
Dec 2020
Location:
Israel
Summary
ELTA Systems Limited, an Israeli contractor engaged by the Jamaican Government under a multi-year contract, experienced a server breach attributed to Iranian-linked hackers. The incident, disclosed after months of silence by Jamaican authorities, prompted government assurances regarding public safety while the full scope of the intrusion remained under assessment. The breach exposed vulnerabilities in a critical foreign partnership, though specific compromised data or operational impacts were not detailed in initial reports.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 2 techniques |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
The Jamaican Government disclosed in December 2020 that it had entered into a five-year contract valued at J$4 billion with Israeli firm ELTA Systems Limited, following months of prior silence regarding the arrangement. This announcement coincided with assurances to Jamaican citizens that the partnership posed no risks, despite emerging cybersecurity concerns. The timing of this disclosure aligned with reports from Israeli technology news outlet CTECH, which had revealed two months earlier that ELTA's servers suffered a security breach attributed to hackers linked to Iran. The intrusion occurred prior to December 2020, though the full scope and severity of the compromise remained under active investigation at the time of CTECH's reporting. No specific details regarding the breach's operational impact on ELTA's infrastructure or client systems were publicly confirmed by either the Jamaican Government or ELTA representatives.
Authorities did not disclose whether the breach involved unauthorized access to Jamaican government data or systems connected through the contractual agreement. The Jamaican Government's primary response centered on public reassurances about the safety of the partnership, without elaborating on technical mitigation measures or forensic findings. ELTA Systems Limited did not release an independent statement regarding the incident through the available reporting channels. The incident highlighted potential supply chain vulnerabilities in international government contracts but yielded no confirmed reports of data exfiltration or secondary compromises affecting Jamaican interests. Ongoing assessments of the breach's magnitude were still underway when the Jamaican Government acknowledged its contractual relationship with the cybersecurity-compromised firm.