Amos Yadlin: Cyber-defense includes cyber attack

Amos Yadlin. Photo: Nir Smol
Amos Yadlin. Photo: Nir Smol

The former IDF Intelligence Chief said that the US and Israel must increase collaboration on cyber-defense strategies.

Tel Aviv University (TAU) Institute of National Security Studies (INSS) director and former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amos Yadlin spoke at a conference in Washington, DC, and said that in the new cyber-warfare reality, a country cannot make do with defense of strategic interests against enemy attacks alone, but must prepare for cyber-attacks on enemy targets as part of the defense of its cyber-landscape.

“Building a cyber-wall-of-defense around strategic national assets is not enough,” said Yadlin. “A country’s cyber-defense toolbox must include advanced attack capabilities. This combination is essential for effective cyber-defense.”

Yadlin spoke at the annual INSS cyber-security convention. This is the first time that the conference was held in Washington, and it focused on advancing cyber-cooperation between the US and Israel.

Many senior defense officials from US and Israeli government offices participated in the conference, along with representatives from infrastructure companies and financial institutions.

Yadlin added that Israel does not yet have a cyber-defense strategy, but said that efforts are underway to put together such a document and to submit it to the relevant authorities. Yadlin briefly mentioned Stuxnet - the computer worm that shut down the centrifuges at Iranian nuclear facilities, and which, according to press reports, was jointly developed by the US and Israel. Yadlin hinted that the cooperation between the two countries in the cyber-arena is not ideal. Yadlin said that partnership between the countries in the field of missile defense, which yielded the Arrow, Iron Dome, and David’s Sling missile-defense systems, is a model of cooperation to be emulated.

INSS director of Military and Strategic Affairs and Cyber Security Gabi Siboni also participated in the conference. Siboni said, “Not enough has been done to advance cyber-cooperation between Israel and the US, given the severity of the threats facing both countries. There is a need for a joint mechanism to integrate the technological and intelligence capabilities of Israel and the US.”

Siboni spoke of the escalation in “Cyber-attacks in recent months, both in terms of scope, and in terms of ‘quality.’” He went on to say, “Cyber-space has become a new arena, but despite this fact, not enough is being done advance cooperation between Israeli industry and the US government.” Siboni warned that the absence of cooperation is liable to threaten the national security of both countries.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 29, 2015

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2015

Amos Yadlin. Photo: Nir Smol
Amos Yadlin. Photo: Nir Smol
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