Elbit unveils new cyber-war simulator

Around 30 soldiers completed course and were assigned to the IDF’s various branches.

By YAAKOV KATZ
The Simulator (photo credit: Elbit Systems)
The Simulator
(photo credit: Elbit Systems)
Days after the IDF admitted it uses cyberspace to attack its enemies, additional details were revealed Tuesday on the way soldiers are trained to defend military networks from cyber-attacks.
Elbit Systems, a leading Israeli defense contractor, unveiled its new cyber-simulator, which The Jerusalem Post has learned was already purchased by the IDF’s C4I Directorate.
The simulator was developed specifically to train government and military personnel how to protect critical infrastructure and sensitive computer networks, like those used by the IDF.
The simulator offers training to prevent cyberwarfare events by simulating network protection scenarios. It allows debriefing and evaluation sessions in order to draw conclusions from the trainees’ performance.
In April, the IDF made history with the graduation of its first course of cyber-defenders, a new role established to prevent cyberattacks against IDF networks. One of the systems used in the training of the soldiers is Elbit’s new simulator.
Around 30 soldiers completed the course and were assigned to the IDF’s various branches, where they are responsible for preventing infiltrations into military networks.
Due to the presumed increase in the cyber-threat to Israel, the IDF general staff recently approved a multi-year program to beef up cyber-defenses including the expansion of personnel as well as new technological capabilities.
The IDF recently organized the units that deal with cyber-warfare, establishing offensive capabilities and operations within Military Intelligence’s Unit 8200 and defensive operations within a new division within the C4I Directorate.
One of the IDF’s primary concerns is the possibility that an enemy will topple military networks during a war. In recent years, the military has invested heavily in digitizing its ground forces through initiatives such as the Tzayad digital army program, which allows units to share information on the location of friendly and hostile units.