Iranian hackers attack Israel daily, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged at a cybersecurity conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Trend reports referring to The Times of Israel.
“Iran attacks Israel on a daily basis. We monitor these attacks and foil them,” he told a gathering of government officials, cybersecurity experts and entrepreneurs at the CyberTech conference.
Israeli officials have long accused Iran of seeking to hack important systems, as well as voiced concerns that it could try to meddle in the April 6 elections. The Islamic Republic has also been named by other Western powers as a rising force in cyberwarfare.
Meanwhile, Tehran’s nuclear program has reportedly been the target of several powerful attacks by Israel and the United States.
In his Tuesday speech, Netanyahu also hailed Israel’s cybersecurity experience and general technology prowess, saying they created diplomatic inroads for the nation.
“Every single county is talking to us about cyber,” Netanyahu said.
“That does not mean we share with everyone,” he added, but Israel has a policy to cooperate with governments and other organizations. “It is important to continue cooperation for defense.”
Israel’s cyber industry is second only to that of the US, taking 20 percent of the overall venture-backed cyber investments worldwide, according to an analysis by PitchBook and the Start-Up Nation Central database.
Netanyahu singled out airlines as the most vulnerable, via ground control hacking or interference with systems in planes.
“Civil aviation requires the most immediate treatment for cyber defense,” he said. “But it is one of hundreds.”