“Everything starts with education. Then comes capital investment to make the country safe. Israel has a culture, I call it a culture of cyber security. It must also be built in Greece. And that takes time and money. Lots of money.” For example, cybersecurity guru Rami Efrati, former head of cybersecurity in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, describes in his statements “K” some of the steps taken by Israel to become a cybersecurity superpower.

“For Greece, the great advantage is that there is a triangle between Israel-Greece-Cyprus, given that the country can benefit from the significant experience we have in Israel with the Israel National Cyber ​​Directorate (INCD) and its leaders. I think the most important thing you have to do is educate people, build a national plan,” he says, warning that if there is an attack on our country’s critical infrastructure (energy, transport), then the government will be forced to find funds. invest in the industry. “Don’t wait. The most important thing is to invest today to make sure you’re ready.”

Strong control

At a time when cyberattacks against countries and companies are intensifying, and developments related to surveillance software like Predator have sparked political controversy, the focus has been on how organizations and governments are using a variety of digital weapons. “For me, a cybertool is a weapon. Therefore, I believe that the process of selling it should be under very, very strict control, as in the case of weapons. The seller cannot control how the buyer uses it in their systems,” he says, answering the question about the existence of such software, which can now be activated even without clicking on the link (zero click).

The cybersecurity industry is one of the most popular technology industries in Israel. In 2021, companies in the sector raised capital of $8.8 billion, and in 2022 investments decreased by 60% due to the unfavorable economic environment. In 2021, 41% of the industry’s global investment came from Israeli companies, while about a third of the so-called unicorns (companies worth more than $1 billion) in the cybersecurity industry are located in Israel. By the end of 2022, there were about 676 active cybersecurity companies in the country of 9 million people. According to data provided by Ran Natanzon, director of innovation and country advancement at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, out of 863 unicorn technology companies worldwide, 63 are owned by Israel. Tech companies raised $14.9 billion last year, up from $25.8 billion in 2021. “In the field of cybersecurity, Israel is a superpower,” he notes.

Israel has a culture of cybersecurity. It must also be built in Greece.

“Cyber ​​City”

The heart of cybersecurity in Israel beats in the “biblical” Beersheba, a “cyber city” in the south of the country, in the Negev desert. Over the decade, the city has evolved into a major high-tech park, where the main pillars of the ecosystem are concentrated: multinational companies such as Dell, IBM, Lockheed Martin, start-ups, military technology centers, laboratories and modern business centers, as well as the cybersecurity research center of the University of Ben- Gurion. Now 80 technology companies and 3,000 engineers work in the technopark. The city has seven state cybersecurity operations centers and three laboratories developing cybersecurity technologies for the critical infrastructure of the smart transportation industry, and a corresponding artificial intelligence laboratory will soon be established. “Ten years ago, the government named Be’er Sheva Israel’s cybersecurity capital, which was an incentive for multinational companies to come here. The Ministry of Defense has also made the decision to move its technology and intelligence centers from the center of Israel to Beer Sheva,” said Daniel Martin, CEO of Cyber ​​7, the Israel Cyber ​​Innovators Community. “What is unique here is the direct link between the technology units of the military and industry,” he says, adding that “in Israel, each security unit is responsible for protecting its infrastructure. The military should train people to do this. This is not a university, 65% of the courses are devoted to practical work.” A visit to the Israeli army’s Bsmch Alpha School of Computer Science, Cybersecurity and Data Engineering confirms Mr. Martin’s words. A special school that women and men can go through while serving in the army “trains” future cybersecurity professionals. “Fifty-two percent of the soldiers who come here are women,” says Noam Bright, head of the computer science department at the school, noting that about 1,500 students are admitted each year. “School is a way to enter the world of technology.” Yael Rothschild, 20, a military officer and head of the software and applications development sector, explains how students are selected using special tests. “Candidates do not need to know a specialized programming language, but need to answer some logic tests.” Speaking about her experience, she says that even if military service was not compulsory, “I would still go.”

Target group

Also on standby is the Israeli Cyber ​​Emergency Response Team (CERT), which is looking into potential threats and attacks on both organizations and citizens. On the 119 emergency number, anyone can report such incidents, which the service investigates and resolves in real time. In 2022, about 9,108 incidents were recorded, of which the majority, i.e. 31% were phishing incidents, and 26% involved social media attacks. “Incidents are so much more,” says Erez Tindhar, CEO of CERT, who highlighted the difficulty of identifying the digital fingerprints of cybercriminals. “There are a lot of countries that are using terrorist organizations as cover to carry out cyberattacks.”

Around 20,000 people attended the Cybertech Cybersecurity Conference (30/1-1/2) held in the center of Tel Aviv, spreading the message “Cyber, we live it, we breathe it”. In the main hall we meet the Israeli company Pentera, in which funds have been invested, such as Insight Partners and the investment company BlackStone, etc. The company has developed a platform that certifies the integrity of companies’ cybersecurity systems by simulating real attacks. A little further on are Nasdaq-listed Cyberark and Israel’s Upstream, which have raised more than $100 million to develop technology solutions for car manufacturers to block hacker attacks on car systems.

Greeks blocking hacker attacks

In recent years, a small but…critical mass of cybersecurity companies have slowly begun to emerge in Greece, whether they be mature tech companies or start-ups that have recently caught the attention of leading private investors. Some appear to be involved in “futuristic” projects such as Saudi Arabia’s Neom smart city, a project estimated to cost more than $500 billion.

These companies have begun to gradually “build” a new domestic technology industry, while Greek companies and government organizations are receiving serious threats and attacks from hackers. A recent example is the ELTA (ransomware) cyber attack on computer systems, which can also lead to the capture of sensitive personal data. “The Greeks have the talent and they can put Greece on the map of global cybersecurity,” says one market executive.

Hack The Box was founded in 2017 by Haris Pilarinos, James Hooker and Ari Zikopoulos and aims to make cybersecurity education more accessible by creating a platform through which users learn to “hack” computer systems while developing combat skills. with cyber attacks. Essentially, the platform trains the “ethical hackers” of tomorrow, i.e. people who imitate the actions of a criminal in order to gain access to the systems of a company or organization and cause serious damage. US private equity firm Carlyle recently entered the company’s equity with a significant minority stake in a $55 million funding round. employee. , the number of its employees.

Obrela Security Industries entered the Greek market in 2009, which recently entered the acquisition process with the takeover of Encode. The company, founded by Giorgos Patsis, Giorgos Douglas and Dimitris Strevinas, provides cyber security services by monitoring the security of its customers in real time through modern business centers (Cyber ​​Security Operations Centers). In particular, it uses its systems to protect its customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from cyber threats, providing real-time detection and protection. The company has developed business centers in Greece, Saudi Arabia and Dubai, and information indicates that it is involved in a major project in Saudi Arabia that could exceed $500 billion. This is the project of Neom, a smart futuristic city that is expected to will be created in the vast desert, and Obrela Security Industries has taken over its security and protection. Greek fund EOS Capital Partners and Latsco Family Office have invested in the company, and with the recent acquisition of Encode, a scheme with a turnover of more than 20 million has been created.

Market participants who follow the development of the sector identify about ten more enterprises with Greek interests, among which stand out Futurae, a subsidiary of ETH-Zurich University, Elemandar George Georgopoulos and others.

Numbers

676 companies are active in the cybersecurity industry in Israel.
20 acquisition of Israeli cybersecurity companies in 2022.
41% global investment in cybersecurity companies heading to Israel in 2021.
33% The unicorns of the cybersecurity industry are based in Israel.
131 investment rounds, during which USD 8.8 billion was raised (2021).