Israel builds ‘cyber dome’ as defense against Iran’s hackers
Israeli cybersecurity agency had thwarted around 800 significant attacks since the Oct. 7 Gaza war erupted
Israel, known for its Iron Dome defense system shielding against rocket threats, is now bolstering its defenses with a “cyber dome” to fend off online attacks, with a particular focus on threats originating from its longstanding adversary, Iran.
“It is a silent war, one which is not visible,” said Aviram Atzaba, the Israeli National Cyber Directorate’s head of international cooperation.
As Israel continues its conflict with the Palestinian resistance group in Gaza following the October 7 attack, it faces a surge in cyber assaults from Iran and its allies, according to Atzaba, a spokesperson.
After the war started, a pro-Palestinian hacker group called AnonGhost claimed to have designed a phone application that supposedly warned of the Palestinian resistance group attacks in advance. Later, the hacker stole data from many individuals by sending fake notifications and alerts through the application.
800 cyber attacks
“They are trying to hack everything they can,” he told reporters, pointing to the Palestinian resistance group and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement but adding that so far “they have not succeeded in causing any real damage.”
He said around 800 significant attacks had been thwarted since the war erupted. Among the targets were government organizations, the military and civil infrastructure.
Some attacks could not be foiled, including against hospitals in the cities of Haifa and Safed in which patient data was stolen.
While Israel already has cyber defenses, they long consisted of “local efforts that were not connected,” Atzaba said.
Atzaba highlights Israel’s efforts to centralize and strengthen its cyber defenses over the past two years, establishing a proactive system to safeguard national cyberspace. This initiative, based in Tel Aviv under the Prime Minister’s authority, operates in collaboration with allies like the U.S. to counter the global threat of cyber terrorism.
Iran is ‘one of the most active countries in cyberspace’, supported by Russia and China
Chuck Freilich from the Institute for National Security Studies underscores Iran’s growing prowess in cyber warfare, noting its aims to disrupt infrastructure, gather intelligence, and propagate misinformation.
Freilich attributes Iran’s investment in cyber capabilities to significant events such as the 2009 post-election uprising and the Stuxnet cyberattack on its nuclear program in 2010.
Since then, Iran has gained substantial expertise to become “one of the most active countries in cyberspace,” he said
While Israel is recognized as a significant cyber power, Freilich warns of Iran’s potential for further enhancement, fueled by external support, especially from Russia and China, and internal investments in cyber education and training.
‘Cyber dome’ mirrors iron dome
Atzaba emphasizes Israel’s development of a “cyber dome” akin to the Iron Dome defense system, pooling data to enable comprehensive threat assessments and coordinated responses.
“For the past two years, we have been developing a cyber dome against cyberattacks, which functions like the Iron Dome against rockets,” he said.
“With cyber dome, all sources are fed into a large data pool that enables a view of the big picture and to invoke a national response in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.”
The Israeli system has various scanners that continuously “monitor Israeli cyberspace for vulnerabilities and informs the stakeholders of the means to mitigate them,” he said.
Israel’s cyber strength relied on close cooperation between the public, private and academic sectors, as well as Israel’s “white hat” hackers who help identify weaknesses.
Source: Newsroom
