In a week when tens of thousands of Likud and Labor officials go out to exercise their democratic right and compile the lists for the Knesset, it is worth asking: can they be sure that the voting process will not be affected by cyber activity, and will their personal information not fall into hostile hands?
The grim answer is probably no.
In recent years, there has been evidence of the use of technological tools designed to damage information systems used in the voting process, and external attempts to influence the public's trust in the purity of the elections, and the voter's attitudes towards the candidates, and the democratic institutions in general.
Another danger is the leakage of personal information that is in the parties' databases, especially in the run-up to the elections - when they receive the Knesset voter register, which contains the details of more than six million people with the right to vote in Israel.
Only recently it was announced in the media that a website revealed information from the Likud voter book.
According to the publication, in a simple search engine it was possible to type in a first and last name and see if that person is eligible to vote in the party primaries, where their ballots are and the last four digits of their ID card.
Also in February 2020, a leak occurred in the information systems, then of the company Elector, which provided the Likud and Israel Beytinu parties with technological services for managing the election system through a dedicated application it developed.
As part of this event, a file was leaked containing personal information about those with the right to vote, their address, where they voted, phone numbers, email addresses, information about whether a person "supports" or "does not support" the party, and even information about the medical condition of Some of them.
So what can be done?
First, each party must appoint an information security officer (according to the data protection officer model under the regulation of the European Union, the GDPR) and publish his name and the means of contact with him.
Second, it is recommended that each party prepare, publish and implement a policy for cyber protection and information security that will include, among other things, processes for dealing with cyber incidents (as defined by the national cyber system) and with serious information security incidents according to Israel's privacy protection laws.
Thirdly, it is important that parties - like other organizations in the economy - devote resources to organizational preparedness against hostile activity in cyberspace, and train themselves to deal with hostile events.
In preparation for the general elections, it is worthwhile to incorporate specific elements into the reform that is already taking place in Israel's privacy protection laws, which will promote the protection of personal information within the framework of the election process.
This is an opportunity to leverage the period when these processes are under the public spotlight, and to deepen public awareness of the importance of investment on the part of organizations, including political parties, in means of protecting the personal information they use as well as the systems in which it is stored.
The goal is to encourage organizations - and the political parties at their head - to prepare well to deal with threats in cyber space, and to share information with the authorities when this is required by law.
The common national goal is to improve the level of cyber protection and personal information of Israel and its citizens, especially in the face of threats to the election system.
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