HIVE Ransomware Victim: Altice International

Description

• Altice international is a multinational group specializing in telecoms, content, media, entertainment, and advertising headquartered in Luxembourg. Through its fully owned Israeli subsidiary, Hot Telecommunications Systems, Altice holds a special permit from the Israeli Civil Administration (ICA) for the provision of cable television and telecommunication services to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. The license was granted in 2006 and is valid through 25 November 2023. In 2019, Hot Telecommunications Systems announced that it will expand its services in the occupied West Bank to reach all settlements through wireless internet and TV services. In January 2021 and January 2022, Hot Telecommunications Systems was awarded two contracts by the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing, Jerusalem District, for planning and carrying out the relocation of communication infrastructure in public spaces in the settlements of Efrat, Beit El, Beitar Illit, Givat Ze’ev, Geva Binyamin (Adam), Ma’ale Adumim, Ma’ale Efraim and Kiryat Arba in the West Bank. The first contract awarded in January 2021, was valued at 4 million NIS, and lasted through 31 December 2021. The second contract in January 2022, amounted to 10 million NIS, and is valid through 31 December 2022. Another fully owned Israeli subsidiary, Hot Mobile (formerly MIRS) holds since 2002, an ICA permit to provide cellular services to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. For its license to operate in Area C of the occupied West Bank, Hot Mobile has provided the ICA with a bank guarantee of NIS 4 million valid through December 2022. Hot Mobile also pays royalties to Israeli settlements. As of February 2022, Hot Mobile has at least 242 active cellular antennas and telecommunication infrastructure facilities in occupied territories, 44 of which are located in the occupied Syrian Golan, while the others are located in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.