By Udi Etsion

Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov has recently arrived at the shores of Syria accompanied by its companion vessels. The ships are in the area as a deterrent measure, but also in order to collect intelligence via electronic means. As a response, the Israeli Navy has upgraded its cyber warfare capabilities, placing special crews onto its missile boats.

Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier – Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru.

“The (fight) isn’t just with the possibility of infiltration into your systems – you need to ensure that if there is an infiltration, the infiltrator won’t be able to cause damage or collect critical intelligence and will be identified quickly,” said an IDF cyber warfare official.Cyber warfare has taken a larger and larger part in Israeli defense exports in recent years. The International Defense Cooperation Directorate of the Israel Ministry of Defense (SIBAT) has designated 2017 as the year of Israeli defense industry cyber exports.

“We have identified specific needs in over 20 countries where SIBAT has close ties. We are concentrating efforts in order to connect the great ability of the Israeli cyber industry to the needs of our friends in the world,” said SIBAT head Michel Ben-Baruch.

Israeli Navy – Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

Israel is home to about 300 companies who deal in cyber warfare exports. Israeli military industry firms have been acquiring many of the smaller companies and absorbing them in order to increase their capacity in the field. Among their works, encouraged by SIBAT, is the construction of cyber war rooms for foreign clients.

SIBAT is a central partner in the Hls & Cyber 2016 conference that was set to open Tuesday in Tel Aviv. The conference was to be attended by defense delegations from dozens of countries, who have come to take in Israeli technology.

According to SIBAT, the biggest in-demand products are related to cyber-protection of weapons systems and control systems, the establishment of CERT (Computer Emergency Readiness Team) centers, strategic infrastructure defense, training equipment, cyber crime, and advanced cyber services.