This defense system, the “cyberdome”, developed by Israel with France in particular, is inspired by the “Iron Dome”, supposed to block missiles. It is designed to repel cyberattacks from Iran.
Since the start of the war against Hamas, Israel has suffered around 800 cyberattacks, three times more than in the previous year during the same period. But he knows his main enemy: Iran, which arrogates to itself the services of other pirates, such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas.
A silent escalation that Israel intends to stop with its allies thanks to
a defense system called the “cyberdome”, inspired by the “Iron Dome” anti-missile defense system. Still under development, but with certain services already operational, this tool combines technology and human cooperation, between countries, institutions and… Israeli cyberhackers.
The cyberdome currently being deployed, but already active
If Israel is not left out in terms of cyberattacks targeting Iran, such as the one in 2020 which led to a computer outage which paralyzed the port of Bandar Abbas, it still faces a
“ formidable enemy “. An enemy that will continue to improve thanks in particular to Chinese and Russian assistance, warns Professor Chuck Freilich, researcher at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).
It is for this reason that the cyberdome was created. “ For two years we have been developing a cyberdome against computer attacks, which works like the Iron Dome against missiles “. A system that the professor describes as “proactive”. This device constantly monitors networks and computer systems to detect any suspicious activity.
“ With the Cyberdome, all sources are fed into a vast data pool that allows for an overview and invocation of a national response in a comprehensive and coordinated manner », explains Aviram Atzaba, of the Israeli National Directorate of Cybersecurity (INCD), thanks to scanners which “ monitor
continuously monitors vulnerabilities in Israeli cyberspace and informs stakeholders of ways to mitigate them », he continues.
So when a cyberattack is detected, the cyberdome can respond in a coordinated and comprehensive manner. It can block the attack, isolate vulnerable systems and minimize damage.
But this cyberdome would not be as effective without the cooperation of allied countries, such as France and the United States, countries hit hard by cyberterrorism.
How Iran Becomes Israel’s Number One ‘Cyber Enemy’
But Israel is not deploying this cyberdome randomly. Because if there is one enemy that it wishes to counter to protect its institutions and its population, it is Iran. And for good reason.
Since the start of the war against Hamas, cyberattacks against Israel have increased significantly, and Iran plays a central role in this escalation.
As of October 7, 2023, the number of cyberattacks has tripled. In just three months, Israel recorded 3,380 incidents, 2.5 times more than in other years. Of these attacks, approximately 800 were classified as having a “ potential for significant damage “.
However, the techniques of cyberhackers are not innovative. They use phishing campaigns like the one that targeted F5, the American network security company in December 2023 via emails sent to company officials, which contained malware as a system update.
But Iran did not act alone. With its allies, notably Hezbollah, the country has intensified its cyberhacking “efforts”. They cooperate to target Israel in every sector, from health and finance to media and government. We can cite
this group affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence which carried out a cyberattack against the Ziv Medical Center based in Safed in February 2024. Results of operations: the extraction of sensitive medical data.
Source : French Web
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