On Wednesday, February 19th, all eyes were on Israel’s National Cyber Directorate (NCD) after word spread that a senior official had self-infected his home computer with malware. The incident happened out of curiosity when the official was exploring unfamiliar dark websites during a cybersecurity education tutorial.
Fortunately, NCD quickly swung into action to investigate the incident and assess the potential damage. Thankfully, no major breach was discovered. The official was given safety protocols and the computer was scanned and fully cleaned of malicious programs.
That said, the incident is a symptom of a larger issue. It speaks to the need of greater vigilance, supervision, and training of cybersecurity basics not just for senior officials but for all of the population. As more people work remotely due to the pandemic, cybersecurity becomes even more important. As many businesses, from retail stores to healthcare practices, now rely on the internet to provide services that were once conducted in person, it is essential to remain vigilant in preventing hackers from accessing private information.
The incident also highlights the need for an effective system of monitoring to detect cyber attacks. Recent reports have shown that cyber criminals use increasingly sophisticated methods to infiltrate systems and steal data. The NCD has introduced a new methodology, called ‘NetGuard’ which records activity from up to 80 million devices in real time. The system can detect and identify hacking attempts, allowing authorities to respond more quickly and take appropriate action.
At the end of the day, the incident serves as a reminder that while cybersecurity might be complex, following the fundamental safety protocols can help to mitigate even the most sophisticated of cyber-attacks. As the NCD has emphasized, cyber hygiene is like regular hygiene: no one is 100% safe, but the basics can go a long way in preventing the majority of issues related to cybersecurity.
