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Whether you admire or critique it, Israel has risen as a major player in the field of cyber espionage. With a population size similar to New York City’s, Israel has gained recognition as a leader in cybersecurity. It has developed sophisticated offensive cyber skills that have disrupted Iran’s nuclear goals and claims intelligence collection capabilities equivalent to the NSA.
But what makes Israel so good at hacking? In this article, we delve into that question, exploring Israel’s intelligence transformation, its process of building a cyber force, and the country’s truly impressive cyber capabilities.
Table of Contents
Israel’s Intelligence Transformation
The Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War was a significant moment in Israel’s history and a turning point for its intelligence forces. The birth of Israel’s hacking prowess can actually be traced back to lessons learned from key events like this, over time.
Israel was caught off guard in a joint invasion by Egypt and Syria, resulting in unexpected losses in the opening days of fighting. This event underscored the need for superior intelligence capabilities, and it spearheaded a significant change in Israel’s intelligence strategy moving forward.
Unit 8-200 (8200)
Israel’s true intelligence transformation began with the establishment of Unit 8-200 (8200), also known as Yehida Shemone Matayim. 8200 has become one of the largest units in Israel, with somewhere between 5,000 to 10,000 people, including reservists, at all times.
8200 is responsible for signals intelligence and is also the country’s offensive cyber operations arm. It supplies 90% of all Israel’s intel for clients like the Mossad, Shin Bet, and other special units.
Operational Concepts
Israel’s cyber units are designed to support Israel’s national defense strategy of avoiding long wars of attrition and projecting Israel’s image as a country that can act on its own, without any allies. Understanding their operational concepts gives insight into what makes Israel so good at hacking. Strike first, defensible borders, deterrence, decisive victory, and close coordination with traditional military units are its guiding principles.
Israel’s intelligence forces are structured to enable its defense policy of fighting in a way that makes up for any size or numeric disadvantages. The key differentiating factor is all about how you organize human capital and innovate on operational concepts, which is where Israel truly excels.
Building a Cyber Force | What Makes Israel So Good at Hacking
Revolution in Military Affairs
The concept of Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) allows a country to boost its power by orders of magnitude. It involves organizing people with technology to operate and innovate on operational concepts, a key component of what makes Israel so good at hacking.
Israel has become an intelligence powerhouse by anticipating conflict far in advance and projecting regional power.
Human Capital
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is like one big HR department for the country. Each year, over 60,000 men and women assess into different units based on school grades, personality, and IQ tests. High scores mean tech units like 8200, while low scores mean the border police.
The selection process begins as early as kindergarten, with teachers using games and activities to form class distributions later. Elementary school kids take intelligence tests, with high performers getting better extracurricular development.
In high school, after-class cyber programs help train and identify young talent for military tech units. When it’s time to enlist, formal interviews and tests screen for recruits who are self-taught learners – ones who can both solve problems creatively and work well with others.
Technical and Personal Traits
Technical chops aren’t everything, however. The IDF looks for personalities with the right cultural fit as well. There are four key traits that technological units like 8200 look for:
Chutzpah – audacious, doing what no one else is willing to do.
Rosh Gadol – taking initiative and doing things the best way possible, even if it means more work, because you see the bigger picture.
Bitzua – being resourceful at getting things done.
Davka – doing things despite being in a difficult situation.
People who have these traits often end up in units doing the most exclusive offensive cyber and intelligence work in the IDF.
Retention
Retention of talent is crucial for building a strong cyber force. Israel has been able to retain its talented personnel via a special alignment, all tied to the meaningful work being done.
Talented people working with other talented people, for a higher purpose they all truly believe in, contributes greatly to this talent retention. It’s an environment conducive to growth and development, especially when personnel are placed into the right roles that match both their skills and their interests.
The IDF also invests greatly in its personnel, providing them with the training and resources needed to succeed. This creates a sense of loyalty and commitment to the organization, as personnel are then more likely to stay and contribute to the organization’s success.
Israel’s Cyber Capabilities
Offensive Cyber Toolkits
Israel is known for its proficiency in offensive cyber operations. It’s developed advanced cyber toolkits like Flame, Stuxnet, Duqu, and Gauss – toolkits that successfully disrupted Iran’s nuclear programs.
Israel also hacked Kaspersky, catching the Russian government using their anti-virus software as a global search engine for classified data. Its intelligence agencies, like Mossad and Shin Bet, use physical and remote hacking methods to project regional power and support Israel’s national defense strategy of avoiding long wars of attrition.
Private Sector
Israel’s private sector, another illustration of what makes Israel so good at hacking, is second only to the US in its VC funding for cybersecurity. Companies like WiSpear and NSO Group (famous for their Pegasus Spyware) sell off-the-shelf hacking tools to organizations willing to pay premium prices for nation-state level cyber capabilities.
Regional Power Projection
In the end, all of these components add up to on core philospohy, that of regional power projection.
Israel’s cyber capabilities are all designed to help project the country’s regional power, and for to maintain its reputation as a country known for anticipating conflict far in advance, avoiding long wars of attrition. Although it may be a small country, its cyber-intelligence apparatus enables it to fight in a way that makes up for any size or numeric disadvantages.
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