The head of the national cyber network, Yigal Ona, reveals in a first interview the close cooperation with the Gulf states, and how hostile elements tried to steal information from the Israeli embassy
Cyberattack
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Israel is one of the most attacked countries in cyber.
This is the price paid by an advanced, technology-saturated country, which also faces a host of enemies - traditional, and even those that exist only in the worlds of technology, such as criminal organizations or distant countries such as North Korea.
The person responsible for preventing these attacks is the head of the national cyber unit, 49-year-old Yigal Ona, who previously served in Unit 8200 and the GSS Operations Division ("I was on duty on the eve of Rabin's assassination, following 'Engineer' Yahya Ayash") and this is the first time he has been interviewed. .
In the full interview, which will be published tomorrow (Friday) in "Shishvat", he reveals the close cooperation with the Gulf states, reveals that hostile elements tried to steal information from the Israeli embassy and tells about the work of the formation he heads, who fight around the clock Terrorism and mere hackers disrupt the course of life in the country, steal sensitive information and force companies and banks to pay a lot of money for the release of infidels.
"The ordinary citizen does not know how dominant and powerful the cyber threat is, and how much it exists everywhere," says Una, "as they said in the Game of Thrones, Winter is coming. Winter is coming, and cyber attacks on Israel are expected to intensify in the coming year. "It's only intensified since the corona plague broke out, because everyone is working from home using digital platforms."
Do you think we'll see the first cyber war soon?
"The world is already deep in cyber wars today. Anyone who talks about five separate dimensions - sea, air, land, space and cyber - is completely wrong, because cyber has long been in all dimensions. The world is based on information technologies, so we are exposed to a situation where we can decide A medium-sized country, even a large one, only in cyber tools. "
Behind his desk in the offices of the National Cyber Center in Tel Aviv is one particularly heavy souvenir - this is a decorated tribute shield, with a gilded plaque, given to him by his counterparts in Abu Dhabi.
Una was part of the historic delegation that went there about two weeks ago, and from this shield one can learn quite a bit about the deep connection between the two countries in the worlds of technology and cyber.
"We have infinite potential with them," he says, presenting a WhatsApp message he received this week from his counterpart in the Emirates, "Israel can give them a great deal on the security side in general, and in cyber in particular - both security and civilian. "In the world for the problems they face. And they want it. Cyber connects people, and Israel has power in this world, which is dramatically larger than its physical or economic size. We have something to sell to all the players in the region, who are threatened by those who threaten us."
Iran?
"you said".