A British-based Israeli couple are expected to be jailed
in Israel for their part in an industrial espionage scandal
involving the use of a Trojan data-tracking bug.
Ruth Brier-Haephrati, 28, and her 44-year-old husband Michael
Haephrati, have entered a plea bargain to be sentenced to four and
two years in jail respectively, after confessing their involvement
in the Trojan horse case.
The plea, entered in a Tel Aviv court, also proposes that they
should each have to pay one million New Israeli Shekels (£121,400)
in compensation. The couple were extradited to Israel from Britain
earlier this year.
According to the court, the couple were managers of the firm
Target-Eya. Michael Haephrati is said to have developed the spyware
Trojan horse, while his wife, Ruth, marketed it to several private
investigators who bought the code and installed it onto the
computers of their clients' rivals.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at internet security
software firm Sophos, said, “The Israeli authorities should be
congratulated for bringing these cyber-criminals to justice - it
sends a strong message that this kind of activity will not be
tolerated.”
He added, “It remains to be seen however if the private
investigators who deployed the Trojan horses on the computers of
innocent businesses, and potentially made more money than this
couple in the process, will also be officially held to
account.”
The Haephrati's Trojan horse is said to have been used by
private investigators to spy on both a PR agency, whose clients
include Israel's second biggest mobile phone operator, Partner
Communication, and a cable television station.
Another alleged victim was Champion Motors, which imports Audi
and Volkswagen motor vehicles. The Tel Aviv court will announce
whether it accepts the Haephrati's plea bargain on 27 March.