Cyber Week: Netanyahu Says Israel A ‘World Leader’, But Needs More International Cooperation

A combination of a strong cyber defence authority and high tech capabilities means Israel is seen worldwide as a leader in cyber security.

Source: NoCamels:

“A few years ago I decided to establish Israel as one of the leading cyber countries in the world, and by all accounts, we’re there,” said Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in his keynote address at Cyber Week Conference held at Tel Aviv University.

After this not so subtle self-congratulation, the PM went on to stress that the importance of cyber security should not be underestimated.

“We are experiencing every month dozens of cyber-attacks on the national level,” warned Netanyahu. “At any given moment, including right now, there are probably 3-5 attacks on the national level that emanate from various sources.”

The key theme of the morning panel at the Cyber Week Conference was the need for international cooperation. Gen. Zafrir, Former Director of the NSA and CEO of IronNet Cybersecurity, called for countries to unite, saying, “Hyperconnectivity is bringing prosperity, we can’t go back and disconnect ourselves. Opportunities here far surpass the challenges and with the cooperation of governments, private sector, and academia “we will prevail.”

Cyber Week brings together international cybersecurity experts and enthusiasts, from government, the private sector, academia, the military, and the intelligence community to provide insight into the latest global developments in cybersecurity.

The conference saw the announcement of a US-Israeli bilateral cyber working group by Thomas Bossert, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism in the United States.

Bilateral cooperation on cyber security between Israel and Australia is also gaining momentum.

In July 2016, the first Israel-Australia Cyber Dialogue was held in Sydney and there have been 2 Israeli cyber security delegations to Australia in the last two years. A joint delegation from Australia and New Zealand is currently in Israel for Cyber Week.