In cyber revenge, Israeli hackers say they obtained Saudi credit card details

Israeli hackers on Monday claimed to have laid their hands on thousands of credit card details used in Saudi shopping websites in response to the exposure of thousands of Israeli credit card details by a hacker who claimed to be from Saudi Arabia.

The Israeli hackers unveiled “thousands of lists that include the personal details of citizens in the Arab state as well as the credit card details of those citizens,” Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website, quoting unnamed Israeli hackers.

“At the moment, we’re holding on to the information and waiting for the right moment to publish it,” the hackers said, according to website, Ynetnews.com.

“We could not stay silent after the pompous boasting of the Saudi hacker.” One hacker was quoted by Ynet as saying. “A few Israeli hackers came together and decided on various responses for each cyber activity that would be carried out against Israel, including responses beyond the cyber world.”

"The response we decided upon after group consultations includes scenarios where Israel is attacked outside of the cyber world.” He added that, for example, “if a terror attack were to take place, we will make every effort to publish the terrorist's personal details and those of his family.”

Ynet reported that “some of the names on the list are real and match the rest of the details presented in the hackers' list [and that] the people listed were mostly Saudi citizens.”

Last week, identifying himself as Saudi-based OxOmar, said last Thursday he had leaked private information of more than 400,000 Israelis, saying the he wanted to “harm Israel financially and socially.”

The data theft, which appeared to focus on commercial web sites, was one of the worst Israel has said it has faced. While the financial damage was reportedly minimal, the breaches have heightened concerns about the potential use of stolen information by the Jewish state’s foes.

Such cyber-attacks are “a breach of sovereignty comparable to a terrorist operation, and must be treated as such,” Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said during a speech at a community center, according to Reuters.

“Israel has active capabilities for striking at those who are trying to harm it, and no agency or hacker will be immune from retaliatory action,” he said, without elaborating.