IAI Employs Hackers for Cyber-Development

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Elta, an Israel aerospace industries (IAI) subsidiary, hired an Israeli hacking group to assist in the development of prototype cyber attack and cyber defense systems. This according to Esti Peshin, director of the Elta Cyber Division.

Peshin explained that Elta is a leader in cyber systems development. “We’ve discovered that all of Elta’s existing technologies, including advanced radar and sensing systems, are an advantage when it comes to cyber systems development.”

Peshin added that the Cyber Division was established just a few months ago in late 2013, but is already considered a leader in the field. Only two outside workers were hired, with the rest recruited from other Elta divisions.

Peshin said that it’s very difficult to defend a system against cyber attacks without good intelligence. “Among our developed solutions are tools that detect the first signs of these attacks”. Every system can be hacked, said Peshin, and the question is how quickly can you detect intrusions in order to minimize the damage. “Cyber attacks are prolonged, that’s why it’s so important to detect them as early on as possible.” According to Peshin the tools developed by the Elta Cyber Division allow cyber-defense specialists to gain situational awareness, relaying real time system information in order to block intrusion.

IHLS – Israel Homeland Security

According to Peshin her division’s clients are government institutions, national infrastructures and critical systems. She explained how in England, for example, the banks established a joint cyber-defense organization that detects cyber attacks against the banking systems.

Hackers often use proxies, rerouting their attacks through multiple servers and preventing authorities from identifying the attack’s source. “There’s a global effort right now for the formation of new regulations, in order to identify the sources of cyber attacks despite any attempts to hide them.”

Peshin added, though, that at this stage it’s still the wild west out there, and it’s very difficult to determine who is behind every cyber attack. According to her the demand for cyber solutions, especially defensive ones, keeps rising as people realize how much damage cyber attacks on sensitive systems can cause. “Our technological assets in Elta allow us to develop new systems of the highest quality relatively quickly,” she said.