Israel’s Nation Cyber Bureau: “Israel – A World Leader”

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“Every minute of every day there are cyber attacks, all over the world. Israel is no different. The cyber threat is very real and the war is here and now. It’s true that not every virus is a wide scale cyber attack, but the threats are evolving and the attackers are growing more sophisticated. Eventually they’ll reach our homes, our computers and our phones, our smart washing machines and refrigerators, even our medical implants. The good news: Israel is much more protected now than it was in the past. The country is also a world leader in cyber security.”

That’s the vision of the future of cyber according to Rami Efrati, Director of the National Cyber Bureau’s Civilian Branch, given during a special interview with iHLS. The bureau, established in January 1, 2012, recently celebrated its second birthday.

Efrati considers Israel a pioneer in identifying cyber threats. “Israel identified the threat in time, about a decade ago, and established an organization in charge of protecting critical infrastructure facilities. It was organized by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who put together a team led by Maj. Gen. Prof. Yitzhak Ben Israel in order to determine how to best face this threat. The bureau was established according to the team’s recommendations, directed by Dr. Eviatar Matania.”

The basic mission was to improve the level of protection against cyber attacks and to coordinate all national efforts in cyber security. The prime minister added another priority: Making Israel a leader in the field – at least among the top five leading countries, preferably among the top three.

Two years passed and the bureau now employs dozens of experts. Rami Efrati adds: “We’ve successfully completed all our missions, even though some processes are ongoing and require more time. The country is much better protected today when compared to the past.” The cyber threat issue is being looked at by government offices, large companies, national infrastructure, the academic world, the army, the industry and the private sectors, and there’s much more public awareness.

The bureau is currently busy establishing a new Cyber Emergency Response Team in the southern city of Be’er Sheva. The new command center will be in charge of responding to every cyber attack. It will receive information and updates from all relevant sources, coordinating between all local organizations dealing with cyber security.

IHLS – Israel Homeland Security

The Bureau identifies five pillars of cyber security:

• Industry: Having advanced in the field, the industry is ready to face the new threats.
• Army: Many relevant units are conducting cyber research. Military personnel later become leaders of academy and industry.
• Human resources: Israel has a large number of talented cyber experts.
• The academic world: Cyber security establishes itself as a respected field of study. This inter-disciplinary field includes mathematics, computers, engineering, cryptology and more. More advanced degrees in cyber security should also be offered.
• National infrastructure: The bureau is establishing national test beds for companies to evaluate their cyber defenses.

Efrat: “More than 220 Israeli companies deal with cyber security, compared to 50-60 just a couple of years ago. The industry understands the severity of the threat and that solutions have to be found. Today people realize that the threat can lead to new business opportunities: New industries emerge, international companies establish R&D centers in Israel. The bureau works hard to convince these companies to open their own cyber branches. There are local and foreign investments. The cyber threat, in fact, became and amazing catalyst for economic growth.”

Be’er Sheva, capital of the south, is slowly turning into a national cyber capital. This process is supported by the IDF’s intelligence and C4I branches, who relocated to the south, with the Ben Gurion University also establishing a strong cyber department. As a result the city started attracting various investors and companies. Efrati added that the Israeli government supports cyber experts who chose to relocate to Be’er Sheva.

The National Cyber Bureau promoted the Magshimim Project as a national program. Magshimim offers cyber security training for 300 high school students this year. According to Efrati this is the kind of human expertise the military and the academy need. The bureau invests tens of millions of shekels on research, helping develop products for the civilian and defense markets, in addition to various scholarships. The bureau also invests a lot of efforts in strengthening international cyber security collaborations. “It’s very important to communicate with our parallels around the world,” said Efrai. “It’s not just about intelligence gathering, but also sharing new, innovative ideas for security solutions.”

Cyber security on a national level requires certifications and regulations, which allow organizations and companies to design their security systems based on proper standards. The bureau established a special public committee in order to define specific cyber-professions and design training procedures.

Rami Efrati concludes: “Cyber attacks are no longer theoretical, they’re a practical issue for all of us – whether private citizens, industry figures, military personnel or leaders of the academy. Every Israeli has to be aware of suspicious emails and protecting passwords, for example, in the same way they are aware of the need to put on seat belts when getting into a car.”