News / Foreign Policy

NCSC head uses first major speech to praise Israel's cyber warfare capabilities

Tuesday, 20 July 2021 6:06 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 20 July 2021 6:19 PM ]

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The chief executive officer of the UK’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), Lindy Cameron, has used her first international speech to heap praise on Israel’s cyber capabilities.

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Addressing Tel Aviv University on Tuesday (July 20), Cameron, who was appointed head of the GCHQ-led NCSC in July 2020, described Israel as “a long standing, like-minded and highly capable partner” in the cyber warfare domain.

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Speaking at the Cyber Week conference hosted by Israel’s leading university, Cameron boasted that “we [British and Israelis] are absolutely committed to working together to protect our citizens and build confidence in a digital future”.

Describing the UK-Israel cyber security relationship as “long-standing” and “enduring”, Cameron revealed that “operational collaborations” between the two states is “strong and well developed”.

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“Israel is a cyber nation. You don’t have to dive too deep into the Israeli cyber eco-system to find inspiration”, Cameron told her captive audience.

Cameron’s speech at Tel Aviv University is the strongest sign yet of what many have suspected for a long time; namely that the UK and Israel cooperate in the cyber warfare domain at the most sensitive operational levels.

It is also a sign that contrary to the consistent messaging of British leaders and officials, GCHQ and the wider British cyber security community are more focused on offensive cyber capabilities as opposed to cyber defense.