The latest class of the Cyber Shield course graduated and will now join the ranks of those protecting the IDF’s computer systems

The third class of the IDF’s Cyber Shield training course, which trains soldiers to protect the military’s core systems in cyberspace, graduated on Thursday, 12 Tammuz 5773. This class included dozens of soldiers, who following its conclusion are joining the IDF’s cyber defense units.

“The course prepares [its participants] for work in the field,” explained Sgt. M., one of its instructors. “The trainees acquire the skills necessary for whichever units they’ll enter in the future. What we prepare them to do is guard the military networks from any intrusion that might do harm, whether from within our network or from outside.”

The Cyber Shield course is an elite training program that lasts over four months. Its participants learn to maintain information security, training in part by practicing defending internal networks from simulated attacks.

Those selected by the IDF to serve as cyber defenders show great promise. “The first thing a cyber defender needs is creativity. He or she needs to have an open mind, in order to anticipate how an attacker might operate,” Sgt. M. said. “Cooperation is also quite important because the reality is not that each person sits by his or her desk working alone – we must work as a team.”

The Cyber Shield course itself is a demanding and rigorous training program that prepares its participants to effectively handle electronic threats to the IDF’s computer networks.

“The studies begin at 07:00 and conclude at 21:00,” said 2nd Lt. L., the course commander. “At the end of the course, we held a concluding exercise that lasted 20 hours, in which we used a system that knows how to attack within a network specific to the course. The goal was for the participants to practice repelling attacks from a variety of possible scenarios.”

The course’s prestige reflects the importance the IDF sees in maintaining high-tech defenses. “Today the cyber realm is considered one of Israel’s dimensions of combat, and the cyber defenders have a very significant role,” 2nd Lt. L. said. “Whoever is behind the screen, protecting the network, can determine the success not only of a particular activity, but of much bigger things – sometimes even at the level of a number of other forces. Damage to our cyber strength could hurt the rest of the military’s efforts.”

The importance of their work is not lost on the course participants. “Imagine that you are the defending line in the cyber war game,” said Pvt. K., a member of the latest class of graduates. “You are protecting the country from an unknown enemy.”

While the stakes are high, these bright minds know how to enjoy the challenge of outsmarting cyber threats. “I believe that the cyber profession is both challenging and satisfying,” Pvt. K. explained. “It is kind of like chess – you always have to be a couple of steps ahead of your rival, but in this case it’s not about winning or losing; it is about defending your country.”

Following the course, the IDF’s newest cyber defenders are prepared for the unpredictable nature of their work. “You’ve got to realize as a defender that you will never know when [a cyber attack] is going to happen or how,” Pvt. K. said. “You’ve got to sharpen your sense and be ready in every breath you take.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)