Posted on 05/02/22
| News Source: i24
'We are trying to put the right standard on communications companies in order to protect Israel'
Israel ordered communications firms on Monday to step up cybersecurity efforts in the wake of a rise in attempted hacking attacks.
New regulations are currently being implemented in which mandatory and unified standards will have to be met, the Communications Ministry and Israel's National Cyber Directorate said, according to Reuters.
"We are trying to put the right standard on communications companies in order to protect Israel and create a kind of 'Iron Dome' from cybersecurity attacks. We are suffering from thousands of cyber attacks every year," Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel told a news conference, Reuters reported.
Hendel referenced Israel's Iron Dome air-defense system, which intercepts rockets fired by Palestinian militants, mainly from Gaza.
"Communications networks are an attractive target for cyber attacks by hostile elements," Hendel said, citing potential damage or shutdown of services and leakage of information being stored.
There was a 137 percent annual jump in average weekly attacks on Israeli companies, rising to nearly 1,500 per week in the first three months of 2022, according to cybersecurity firm Check Point.
Gaby Portnoy, Israel's new cybersecurity czar, said in the last month alone, Israel saw a sharp rise in attacks trying to bring down websites.
Portnoy said Israeli telecoms firms had very good cyber security but that the new regulations, which include a higher level of supervision, would be an improvement.