'A massive cyberattack can disrupt an entire country' – Israel's Iranian-Russian growing threat
In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom, cybersecurity expert Refael Franco warns of potential infrastructure cyber attacks as economic impact reaches billions.
In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom, cybersecurity expert Refael Franco reveals the escalating cyber threats facing Israel. With daily attacks causing billions in economic damage, Franco warns of a potential catastrophic strike on critical infrastructure, highlighting the dangerous collaboration between Iranian and Russian cyber capabilities.
Since the beginning of the Iron Swords war, Israel has been grappling with a daily wave of thousands of cyber attacks, primarily from pro-Palestinian and Iranian sources. A report published about a month ago by Israel's National Cyber Directorate estimates the economic damage from these attacks at no less than 12 billion shekels per year.
To understand the scale and significance of the cyber front Israel is facing, one need only look at the attacks carried out in recent weeks. About two weeks ago, the pharmaceutical company Rekah was forced to shut down its distribution system due to security breach concerns. Prior to that, a real estate website was disabled following a similar attack, and in an equally serious incident that occurred about a month ago, hackers breached the databases of the leading law firm Goldfarb Seligman.
In a conversation with Israel Hayom, Refael Franco, founder and CEO of the cyber crisis management company Code Blue and former Deputy Head of the National Cyber Directorate, assesses that "despite the damage they caused, these attacks have actually made the Israeli economy's recovery capacity much more efficient. We see businesses that were attacked managing to return to routine relatively quickly, which is very important."
Franco states, "Despite this improved recovery capability, Israel still faces a critical strategic vulnerability: the centralized management of our national infrastructure. How many 'Israel Electric Corporation' are there? How many 'Mekorot' [Israel's water company] companies are there? The country consists of a few companies that are the exclusive providers of strategic infrastructures."
"A massive cyberattack, one that disrupts the supply of electricity or water flow in Israel, is an event that can disrupt an entire country. If in the past Iranian efforts focused mainly on small and medium Israeli organizations with low levels of defense and awareness, in recent years Iran has been making enormous efforts to carry out a critical infrastructure attack against national companies," he claims.
"An event of this magnitude, if successful, could lead to a real disaster. Additionally, the Iranians understand very well how much of a moral blow this would be, causing enormous damage to the State of Israel and its citizens," Franco explains.
Refael Franco
How close are the Iranians to carrying out such an attack?
"In recent months, starting from October, we have indeed witnessed a dramatic increase in attack attempts against various entities in the country, some more successful than others. So far, attempts to damage infrastructure have not really succeeded, and the main impact has been on medium-sized organizations and below.
"Although there has not yet been physical damage, the Iranians have managed to break into the systems of organizations of great importance, including medical institutions and academic institutions. They have managed to get their hands on a lot of information, which, although not strategic, is enough to cause economic damage to the economy.
"Let's be clear: while these recent attacks may appear to be of Palestinian origin, they're actually being executed by Iranian operatives with Russian strategic guidance."
How has Russian support strengthened the Iranian cyber array?
"Let's start with the fact that even before Tehran strengthened its strategic connection with Moscow, Iranian technology and research capabilities were considered relatively high, with the University of Tehran ranked among the top 500 universities in the world according to the Shanghai Index. Alongside these capabilities, the development in cyber in the last two years is a direct result of the strategic connection with Russia.
"In exchange for Tehran's unprecedented export of drones and weapons to Moscow, the Russians are enhancing and supporting Iranian cyber capabilities. This connection has developed the Iranian cyber array and led to its construction as an important and central factor in the campaign against Israel.
"The Russians, for their part, have long understood how critical psychological warfare and extensive use of fake news is in undermining enemy resilience, and the Iranians have adopted these tactics. Quite a few attacks make use of fake news and attempts to polarize Israeli public discourse."
How prepared are we for the next attack?
"The war has led the Israeli cyber industry to a boom it hasn't experienced for a long time, due to constant friction with attackers and the incorporation of Israeli creativity. The proof of this is the almost bi-weekly number of exits of Israeli cyber companies.
"However, the rapid advancement of Iranian cyber capabilities necessitates a shift in how we approach cybersecurity across our entire economy. A structured strategy, and consistent and clear guidelines through all bodies and factors in the Israeli economy, are critical to the continuous functioning of the State of Israel. Awareness of the threat, along with proper emergency preparedness that will allow rapid recovery from cyber attacks, is what will make the chances of Iranians significantly harming Israeli society lower."
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