Rabat – Morocco participated in a cybersecurity attack simulation hosted by the Israel National Cyber Directorate on November 16 at the Israeli pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai.
Israel’s National Cyber Directorate simulated a large-scale cyberattack against the aviation sector.
Participating in the simulation were representatives of airport authorities, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, civilian aviation authorities, cyber authorities, and cybersecurity companies from several countries: Israel, USA, Germany, Greece, Morocco, Bahrain, and the UAE.
According to Israeli news outlet Israel Defense, the unprecedented exercise is a first case of international representatives coming together to simulate a cyberattack on the aviation industry and work together on how to manage it.
An international collaboration on the issue is necessary, “as over the past decade, we have seen an upswing in the number of attempted attacks on the aviation sector around the world at different levels of sophistication,” said Tamir Goren, Director of Special Technologies in the Technology Unit in the Israel National Cyber Directorate.
With aviation becoming digitally advanced, there have been mounting fears of threats and unexpected cyberattacks. Although there have not been any attacks that damaged the safety of aviation, Goren calls on aviation actors and cybersecurity authorities to step up efforts “to ensure the continued safety” in the industry.
The event was held in partnership with the Cybersecurity Council of the UAE, with the presence of Yigal Unna, Director General of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, and Mohammed Al-Kuwaiti, Managing Director of the National Data Centre.
In July, Morocco and Israel signed an agreement to consolidate their bilateral cooperation in the cybersecurity sector.
Read Also: Israel and Morocco Sign Agreement to Promote Bilateral Cybersecurity Efforts
Both countries expressed their readiness to participate in operational cooperation, research and development, and the sharing of information and knowledge.
The 2020 National Cyber Power Index ranked Israel 11th as the most comprehensive cyber power in the world, and the Israeli National Cyber Directorate is largely considered to have one of the most advanced cybersecurity programs in the world.
Meanwhile, the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020 report ranked Morocco at 50th out of 181 countries worldwide; the country was placed 8th in the MENA region and 5th in Africa.
