Bulgaria, Israel mull cybersecurity cooperation
Rumen Radev becomes first foreign head of state to visit Israel’s computer emergency response team in Beersheba
Shoshanna Solomon was The Times of Israel's Startups and Business reporter
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev toured Israel’s National computer emergency response team (CERT) in Beersheba on Wednesday with a delegation of ministers, officials and businessmen and discussed possibilities of cooperation in the cybersecurity sphere with Israel.
During the visit, Israel’s head of the National Cyber Directorate, Yigal Unna, showcased the facility, described its areas of responsibility and how it interacts with other cybersecurity entities in Israel. He described the lurking cybersecurity threats and what efforts are being made to cope with them.
The visit is part of Israel’s efforts to expand cooperation with countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Thursday.
The visit of the Bulgarian president is the first visit by a foreign head of state to the CERT and its adjacent cybersecurity technology park, the statement said.
The delegation toured the national CERT facility, which includes the National Cyber Security Center; the Government Security Operations Center, which is responsible for monitoring and protecting government ministries; and the Cyber Center and financial continuity department, which operates in cooperation with the Finance Ministry and the Energy Ministry.
The delegation also visited the cyber park in Beersheba, which combines the national CERT, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and about 20 companies operating in the cybersecurity field.
