According to a recent report from Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Iranian-linked hackers were able to penetrate Israel’s databases containing sensitive gun owner data and leaked the information online in early February.
For its report, Haaretz worked with U.S. cybersecurity firm databreach.com to analyze the hack. According to the article,
The documents include personal details of gun owners, including their full name, home address, photograph, military and medical background, firearm type, ammunition count and whether the weapon is stored at home.
The cybersecurity firm pointed out, “Anyone who keeps a gun at home is now at higher risk,” adding, “We estimate the database contains identifying information on over 10,000 Israelis.” A victim of the data breach, contacted by Haaretz to confirm the accuracy of leaked information, felt likewise, stating, “this is really dangerous. This puts a target on our backs.”
As for how far the private gun owner data has spread, the paper explained,
The hackers have also started leaking the stolen data to different digital archives, platforms similar to WikiLeaks, which have previously hosted major leaks such as the Panama Papers and work with journalists and civil society. The Israeli gun owners' database has already been uploaded to one of these platforms, making it easily accessible. In the coming days, it is expected to appear on additional leak platforms.
The reported hack comes at a time when Israelis have demonstrated a reinvigorated respect for an armed citizenry. As NRA-ILA reported at the time, following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks, the Israeli government relaxed the rules governing civilian firearm ownership and Israelis responded by seeking firearm permits in droves.
A Times of Israel article from December 2023 reported that in a country of roughly 10 million, “260,000 new requests for firearm permits have been submitted… since Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir noted at the time, “My policy within the office was to permit as many people as possible to get a weapon,” adding, “within a short period of time, we are [now] giving up to 3,000 approvals a day.” The news outlet pointed out that about 100 permits a day were approved before the war.
The Israel gun owner data breach demonstrates the dangers of keeping private information on those seeking to exercise the right to self-defense. However, Israel is far from the only jurisdiction where private gun owner data has been made public – often with no hostile foreign adversary at fault.
New Zealand has repeatedly demonstrated an inability to secure private gun owner information. In July 2023, the New Zealand Herald reported that the country’s Firearms Safety Authority had compromised the personal information of more than 100 gun owners. The paper explained,
In an email sent shortly after noon on Wednesday, seen by the Herald, Auckland Central Police District firearms staff emailed more than 100 gun owners to warn them their listed firearms licence address may not be up to date.
Their email addresses, in many cases including their first and last names, were visible in the cc field, rather than hidden in the bcc section.
The visible addresses included various prominent Auckland residents, including lawyers, company directors, police officers and government officials.
The Firearm Safety Authority described the data breach as an “error.”
This came after a June 2022 incident where, according to the Herald, “Firearm owners' details [were] stolen in alleged burglary of old Auckland police station.”
Before that, in 2019, information connected to New Zealand’s mandatory gun “buyback” (gun confiscation) program was compromised. On December 2, 2019, The Guardian published a piece titled, “New Zealand's gun buyback website 'a shopping list for criminals.’” The outlet reported, “a gun lobby group said it had spoken to 15 people who were able to access information on a website where firearms owners registered weapons to be relinquished. It included their names, addresses, dates of birth, firearms licence numbers and bank account details, the group said.”
Then there’s the incompetence of the California Department of Justice.
In June 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the launch of the California DOJ’s Firearms Dashboard Portal. The data tool was designed to give granular firearm transaction and Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) permit holder data to anyone visiting the DOJ’s website. However, astute users quickly realized that the dashboard could be used to access the personally identifying information of California CCW holders - including date of birth, full name, and address.
A statement issued by the DOJ on the breach confirmed the damage. The breach included the data for individuals who had been granted or denied a permit between 2011 and 2021 (names, date of birth, gender, race, driver’s license number, addresses, and criminal history) and potentially extended to the “following dashboards: Assault Weapon Registry, Dealer Record of Sale, Firearm Certification System, and Gun Violence Restraining Order dashboards.” Bonta was quoted in the statement as saying, “The California Department of Justice is entrusted to protect Californians and their data. We acknowledge the stress this may cause those individuals whose information was exposed. I am deeply disturbed and angered.”
The fact that even a sophisticated government like Israel’s can fall victim to a breach of sensitive gun owner information, once again shows the only sure way to safeguard gun owner data is to not collect it at all.
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