Gov’t Announces National Authority for Cyber Protection

The government accepted a proposal by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and decided to establish a national authority for operative cyber protection. The head of the national cyber headquarters, Dr. Evyatar Matanya, will form the authority. It will receive the necessary authority to protect the region from cyber threats and will be an operative body that will work alongside the National Cyber Headquarters, which will continue to strengthen Israel’s status as a leader in the field.

The prime minister’s decision was taken following extensive groundwork that indicated a need for a specialized group that will connect between the civilian world and the defense world, and will gather all the best minds to lead the overall defense activities in Israel with a long-range vision of the mounting threats in the cyber arena.

Dr. Matanya noted that dealing with the cyber threat on a national level for the coming decades is a strategic challenge that all the countries in the world must address. Establishing such a force, he said, will entrench Israel’s status as a leader in the field.

This article appeared in print on page 9 of the September 22nd, 2014 edition of Hamodia.