Shin Bet Chief Nadav Argaman on Monday revealed that Israel’s security services are acting proactively against hackers around the world who are trying to harm Israel: “We are not only defending but also attacking hackers around the world,” Argaman said at the international cyber Conference held at Tel Aviv University.
“All kinds of hackers who work against us worldwide have been experiencing problems in their operations recently,” Argaman said.
According to Argaman, over the past year the Shin Bet has been dealing with cyber threats from countries, terrorist organizations, and individual hackers.
“We are cooperating with our partners and have acted on several levels to defend Israel,” he said, adding, “We will continue everywhere to thwart the threat in a place far from home, and the hackers who are working against us should expect surprises against them not only in cyberspace but also on the physical plane. Those who attack us will receive multiple responses.”
Argaman also related that over the past year and a half the security services have succeeded in locating more than 2,000 potential terrorists through the use of technology.
“We work together with the Mossad, Military Intelligence, the Cyber Authority and other countries around the world. Our opponents focus on the connection between the computers and the physical world and we create a defense system for effective prevention,” Argaman revealed, noting that “the prime minister decided to create and respond to all these threats.”
Describing the Shin Bet assessment of the electronic warfare era, Argaman said, “We organized the technology field into one body that consolidates all the activities, it’s a perpetual start-up layout.”
“As a result of the challenges and the tasks ahead, more than a quarter of the organization’s members are software and cyber experts,” Argaman said. “We compete well in against the world’s superpowers, employing as we do the best minds in the field.”