Israel: between the cyber dome and a cyber doom
As cyber attacks frequency, scope, and depth intensify, disruptions to services and delays will happen potentially increasing the likelihood of incurring financial losses.
In order to counter cyber attacks, Israel, in partnership with Abraham Accords countries, has discussed the creation of a cyber dome akin to its anti missiles defence system, the Iron Dome. The system promises to build cross-country defence capabilities able to detect, repel, and foil cyber attacks that might target electricity and data networks, financial systems and satellites.
However, similar to the Iron Dome, the cyber dome promises more than it can actually deliver. In the past month alone, Israel has been subject to tens of broad cyber attacks that targeted its infrastructure and websites, causing financial losses and public disturbance. Most recently, electricity was cut in many cities and more attacks have been vowed to cut the internet services.
Israel's failure to defend its cyber space signals weakness and undermines it's reputation as a global cyber power. It also undercuts its efforts to export its capabilities to the region and the world, threatening the merits of some aspects of the Abraham Accords such as the cyber dome. For Iran and its regional allies, launching a regional attrition cyber war on Israel aims to foil a predicted multi-front regional war from occurring.
Business implications
As cyber attacks frequency, scope, and depth intensify, disruptions to services and delays will happen potentially increasing the likelihood of incurring financial losses.