The countries that signed on to the Abraham Accords are mobilizing to build a regional Cyber Dome against common cybersecurity threats.
The venture was announced on Tuesday at Cybertech Global 2023 in Tel Aviv.
Joined by his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and the United States on the main stage of the event, Gaby Portnoy, director general of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, discussed Israel’s intention to build an Iron Dome to defend its cyberspace and, together with Israel’s allies in the region and the US, to build a regional joint cyberdefense network.
Gen. (Ret.) David H. Petraeus, former director of the CIA, told The Media Line that the world dynamics have shifted and now power is the key to a good economy and not the other way around, as it was previously.
“Geopolitics has transformed dramatically over the last decade from a world of benign globalization in which economics determine geopolitics, to a world of renewed great power rivalries in which geopolitics increasingly determine what’s possible in terms of economic investment, trade, and so forth,” he said. “This has been positively seismic, and it is influencing everything that we do nowadays.”
Petraeus highlighted during his speech at the conference how the world has experienced a “weaponization of everything” and, hence, a “defense for everything” has been created.
We need transformational change in how we build a cyberdefense. None of us can defend on our own, it is no longer enough to have meetings and clear partnerships, we must move hard in the direction of direct operational collaboration between governments and the private sector, as well as between national governments.
Portnoy noted that the international threat landscape in cyberspace keeps evolving. “The prices being paid by all of us to cyber aggressors, nation-driven proxies, freelancers and more keep getting higher,” he added.
Everyone at Cybertech Global 2023 is a part of the defense team, Portnoy said, referring specifically to the international attendees to the conference. But he added that, while the Israeli experience of defending itself can be much like the experience of others in many areas, “we have Iran.”
“Iran has aggressively orchestrated campaigns across Israeli cyberspace, but our defense is strong as always and we see their work many times being unsuccessful,” he said describing how Israeli security institutions stopped thousands of cyberattacks coming from the Islamic Republic last year alone.
Portnoy called on Israel’s regional partners who share the same threats to build a joint regional Cyber Dome, a play on the name of Israel’s long-range missile defense system, Iron Dome.
“With our regional partners who are honoring us today with their presence, I want us to build our cyber domes together for regional strong cyberdefense. The alternative of working alone is just too expensive and brings less value,” he continued, announcing that a joint threat intelligence-sharing platform concept is being put in motion. It is, he noted, “a platform to provide the best environment to build trust and partnership.”
Robert Silvers, undersecretary for strategy, policy, and plans at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said the US and Israel have a long history of cooperation in the cybersecurity arena and have responded to what he describes as an urgent need to shift to full cooperation between allies in this field.
“We need transformational change in how we build a cyberdefense. None of us can defend on our own, it is no longer enough to have meetings and clear partnerships, we must move hard in the direction of direct operational collaboration between governments and the private sector, as well as between national governments,” he said, adding that the US Department of Homeland Security is leading this transformational change in how it defends its networks.
Silvers pointed out that the Department of Homeland Security and Israel’s National Cyber Directorate (INCD) are taking on shared cyberthreats, and investing in the technology that will respond to the emerging threats of tomorrow.
“Together we take on the cyberthreat posed by Iran; an issue known all too well in both our countries. Iranian cyberthreat actors have continuously improved their offensive cyber capabilities,” he noted.
This is a piece of diplomatic history, a piece of cybersecurity history, a piece of regional history, and a wonderful opportunity to deepen longstanding security partnerships
He cited the reports of Iranian cyberattacks targeting Israeli water utilities and other civilian targets, as well as Iran’s engagement in state-sponsored cyberattacks against US critical infrastructure, including financial services, health care, transportation, and dams.
But shared threats are only one ingredient, he added. “In the ironclad relationship that bonds DHS and the INCD, we have built a model for how national cyberdefense agencies should work together,” he said, adding that both share timely information on cyber incidents, threats, and mitigation measures; exchange lessons learned; and exchange technical expertise in areas such as cloud security, maritime cybersecurity, and aviation security.
However, Silvers stressed that securing the networks in the US and Israel requires engagement throughout the Middle East. “Later today I will take the stage with my counterparts from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. We are expanding the Abraham Accords to cybersecurity” he announced.
“This is a piece of diplomatic history, a piece of cybersecurity history, a piece of regional history, and a wonderful opportunity to deepen longstanding security partnerships,” he concluded.