Israel has detected what appears to have been attempts to use cyber-warfare to
attack critical state infrastructure, outgoing Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency)
chief Yuval Diskin said on Wednesday.
Speaking to military reporters
ahead of his scheduled retirement later this month, Diskin said that the Shin
Bet, which is responsible for defending state infrastructure – including the
water system and electrical grid from cyber attacks – has detected
“fingerprints” and “tracks” of attempted attacks.
“All over the world,
including in Israel, there are cyber attacks,” Diskin said. “We can’t say for
certain the attacks were against critical infrastructure, but there are
fingerprints and tracks that maybe there were attempts, and they were
treated.”
The Shin Bet, Diskin said, recently completed a major review of
its technological and cyber capabilities, and has outlined a multi-year plan
that will be implemented in the coming months by his successor Yoram Cohen, his
former deputy.
“Israel needs to grow in this field since this is
something that is happening today already – and is not waiting for tomorrow,” he
said. “This is a threat that is already knocking on our door.”
The IDF
recently organized its cyber capabilities by establishing a special division
under the Military Intelligence’s signal intelligence unit 8200, which is
responsible for cyber-warfare.
It has also reinforced its defensive
capabilities, aimed at protecting military communication networks, which sits
under the C4I (command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence)
Directorate.
Israel’s cyber capabilities are presumed to be some of the
most advanced in the world, and 8200 is suspected of developing the Stuxnet
worm, which attacked Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility last year,
reportedly causing extensive damage.