Cyber Defense Competence Transferred from Security Agencies to National Cyber Authority

Jerusalem, 3 August, 2016 (TPS) -- The Knesset Plenum approved a bill transferring the responsibility on cyber security from the security agencies to the National Cyber Authority, in a 48 against 8 vote.

“The feeling that this equates a new collection agency devoted to secret phone tapping the likes of Big Brother is misguided.” said Likud MK Avi Dichter, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “This is not a collection agency but a body that will deal with directives.”

The new authority will consider both security and political-diplomatic implications and will properly organize the gathering of information on cyber attacks against Israeli targets. It will not gather intelligence independently, but will rely on the work of existing intelligence agencies. The Israeli security agencies will continue to be responsible for their own cyber protection and they will be the ones to actually collect the information.