Israel is Among Five Global Cyber Powers

Israel is Among Five Global Cyber Powers

cyber

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Israel’s national cyber agencies (the National Cyber Bureau and the National Cybersecurity Authority) will be merged into one entity, the National Cyber Array, which will be responsible for all aspects of cybersecurity in the civilian sphere, from forging policy and building technological capabilities to operational cyber defense. The decision was approved by the government.

The National Cyber Bureau was established in the Prime Minister’s Office in 2012 in order to lead the strategy, the national policy and the building up of the technological cyber capabilities in Israel.

Following the recommendations of the Cyber Bureau, in February 2015 the government decided to form the National Cybersecurity Authority as the major cybersecurity operative agency in Israel, to operate along the National Cyber Bureau, within the framework of the national cyber array.

The decision approved at the time to have two arms – one being in charge of policy and strategy (the Bureau) and another in charge of operations (the Authority) was directed at enhancing the two arms. The recent decision to fully merge them complements the policy of building an optimal civilian cybersecurity.

According to the government’s announcement, Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel is one of the world’s five cyber powers. He said “whoever visited at the Cyber Authority in Be’er Sheva understands that we are among the world leading, or even the leaders, in defending our citizens, bank accounts, power grid and all other critical infrastructures against cyber attacks. Constant cyber attacks persist, but Israel has been developing groundbreaking technology in order to confront this challenge.”