This episode of The IR thinker explores Israel’s evolving cyber threat landscape and the international implications of its rise as a leading cyber power. The discussion considers the balance between security and civil liberties, the impact of regional and global geopolitics on Israel’s cyber strategy, and insights from Professor Chuck Freilich’s 2023 book on the country’s cybersecurity evolution.
Chuck Freilich is a former deputy national security adviser in Israel and a long-time senior fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He is the author of Zion’s Dilemmas: How Israel Makes National Security Policy, Israeli National Security: A New Strategy for an Era of Change and Israel and the Cyber Threat: How the Startup Nation Became a Global Cyber Power. A senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv and the MirYam Institute, he has also served as a senior analyst at the Israel Ministry of Defense, policy adviser to a cabinet minister and delegate at the Israeli Mission to the United Nations, and is a frequent commentator in international media on Middle Eastern and security affairs.
Content
00:00 - Introduction
02:13 - Overview of Israel’s Cyber Threat Landscape in 2023
03:14 - A Decade’s Evolution in Cybersecurity
05:54 - Significant Recent Cyberattacks on Israel
09:29 - Current Predominant Cyber Threats Faced by Israel
10:07 - Strengthening Israel’s Cybersecurity Framework
12:14 - The Private Sector’s Role in Bolstering Israel’s Cybersecurity
15:00 - Israel’s Stance on Foreign Technologies and Solutions
17:54 - Israel’s Global Cooperation in Cyber Threat Intelligence
19:49 - The Rising Interest and Shortage in Israel’s Cybersecurity Sector
21:03 - Economic Implications of Cybersecurity in Israel
23:05 - Geopolitics and Diplomacy: Their Impact on Israel’s Cybersecurity
25:11 - The Iranian Cyber Threat: An Analysis
26:52 - Unpacking Chinese Cyberattacks on Israel
28:05 - The Inspiration Behind a New Book on Israeli Cybersecurity
29:25 - The Utilisation of International Theory in Chuck’s Book
31:25 - Tackling the Most Challenging Chapter
32:42 - Embracing Academic Freedom in Israel
35:47 - Balancing Defensive and Offensive Cyber Policies
36:51 - Understanding Israel’s Civil and Military Cyber Strategies
39:28 - A Sneak Peek into Chuck’s Upcoming Book
40:20 - The State of the Academic Cybersecurity Community in Israel
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