Israel, UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco working toward a common cyber defense
The signatories of the Abraham Accords will equip themselves with a 'Cyber Iron Dome'
Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco have held meetings to discuss setting up a common cyber defense platform, according to a report, amid heightened threats from Iranian hackers.
"This is a historic meeting. A declaration of the parties regarding cooperation in the cyber field against common enemies," Gaby Portnoy, the head of Israel's National Cyber Directorate, told Israeli public broadcaster Kan. Portnoy called it a "Cyber Iron Dome," in reference to Israel's air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries.
In early December, Israel and the United States carried out the largest cyber exercise ever conducted together to counter the Iranian threat. The exercise was first held at the unit's Georgia Cyber Center, located in the U.S. state of Georgia. This was the seventh cyber exercise undertaken jointly by the two allies.
Israel is considered to be a leader in cyber security technology, in late November hosting a conference showcasing its homeland and cyber tech with some 65 different companies.
“To me, Israel has always been the go-to place when it comes to cutting edge above-the-state-of-art in cyber security technology,” Ivan Constantin, a cyber security expert from Romania, told i24NEWS during the conference held in Tel Aviv.
Iranian hackers in July obtained and leaked the information of over 300,000 Israelis by targeting popular travel booking websites, Israel’s Privacy Protection Authority confirmed.