IDF cyber chief says dozens of cyberattacks on national infrastructure thwarted, warns attempts will increase

The chief of the IDF’s C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate says dozens of attempted cyberattacks aimed at disabling Israeli “national systems” have been thwarted in the past two years of war.

The remarks were made during a joint cyber exercise held last week between the IDF and the US Cyber National Mission Force, and released today. The CyberDome drill has been held annually since 2015.

“Behind every overt campaign, there is also a covert one. We operate together with United States Cyber Command tirelessly to ensure superiority against any threat, from any direction,” says Maj. Gen. Aviad Dagan, head of the C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate, according to remarks provided by the military.

“The events published thus far do not fully represent the cyberthreat. We must not make a mistake. This is an issue that is at the very heart of our national security,” he says.

Dagan says that “over the past two years, dozens of enemy attempts to damage and disable national systems have been thwarted.”

“These attempts will increase,” he warns.

During the war, which began with Hamas’s terror onslaught on October 7, 2023, Israel has faced a surge in cyberattacks, some of which have been blamed on Iran.