Cybertech Global Tel Aviv 2022, one of the world’s most important cybersecurity events, took place from March 1 to 3. It brought together leading decision-makers, government officials and senior executives representing a wide range of sectors from dozens of countries around the world.

Three days of conferences, exhibitions and networking opportunities with global leaders in cyber technology, where the latest technological innovation was showcased, current and future challenges were discussed, and existing solutions to combat threats in the global cyber sphere were explored.

These are the five key takeaways from the event:

1. The importance of establishing a global cyber alliance

Several voices stressed the need for countries, as well as leaders and experts in the field of cybersecurity, to come together to form stronger alliances that reduce and mitigate the risks, threats and impact of cyberattacks.

In the same vein, Yigal Unna, former head of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, insisted that the world must be prepared as cyber threats continue to increase.

“All nations and sectors must be much more prepared; we need a holistic approach. We need a community approach, working together,” he said.

2. Greater security in digital payment solutions

As expected, the war between Russia and Ukraine was a prominent topic throughout Cybertech Global Tel Aviv 2022. Some speakers agreed on the need to create a “post”-SWIFT payment system.

It is no secret that Russian hackers, with very strong offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, could prevent Western leaders from accessing the SWIFT banking system in response to sanctions against them.

Along the lines of: if Russia is excluded from SWIFT, we can also exclude Western economies from their SWIFT system.

The economic and trade sanctions that NATO countries have imposed on Russia—at the heart of which is SWIFT—put the new world of digital payments at risk.

An alternative payment system to SWIFT is needed—one that enables legitimate money transfers and blocks transfers to criminals, dictators and those who finance them.

3. Security in electrical infrastructure

Electrical infrastructure—and any critical national infrastructure—will become one of the primary targets of a national cyberattack.

The integration of renewable and decentralised energy sources, the need to optimise the grid, interactivity among “prosumers”, and the number of new participants are crucial factors in the sector and have significantly increased cybersecurity risks.

Some experts warn that in the coming years cyberattacks will be a fail-safe weapon—far more so than other, more conventional weapons such as tanks or rockets.

4. Making underrepresented communities in the cyber world more visible

In this edition, Cybertech dedicated a series of panels, sessions and speakers to underrepresented communities, with a strong focus on Israel.

In this way, Israeli Prime Minister Bennett made a strong statement when he said that Palestinians were an “untapped” group of cyber talent. There was discussion about breaking glass ceilings and the inclusion of the country’s Arab society in the country’s high-tech sector.

Meanwhile, Ruth Shoham, CEO of the Open University of Israel, spoke about women leaders in cybersecurity. She shared her own experience and noted that when she was younger, she assumed cybersecurity was only for men. Today, “27% of women are in the cyber industry.”

5. IoT cyberattacks will increase, a widespread reflection throughout Cybertech Global Tel Aviv 2022

IoT, the Internet of Things, is making it possible to connect the physical world with the virtual one, but beyond what this represents in terms of progress, these types of networks are currently vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Cyberattacks on IoT devices doubled during the first half of 2021. From January to June last year, around 1.51 billion breaches of Internet of Things (IoT) devices occurred, Kaspersky reported—an increase from 639 million in 2020.

An IoT attack can involve devices, networks, data and users. Cybercriminals can launch an attack to steal information, take over a system or shut it down.

There was particular emphasis on the need to develop cybersecurity solutions for IoT in critical infrastructure.

Areas such as energy, oil, gas, pharmaceuticals, public water utilities and more.

onBRANDING and its participation in Cybertech Global Tel Aviv 2020

onBRANDING had the opportunity to attend the 2020 edition of Cybertech Global Tel Aviv

On that occasion, Selva Orejón took part in a roundtable that addressed the topic: “Catching the cibercriminals – The new forensics in Cyber Crime”, alongside figures such as Yaniv Azani, CTO of the National Cybercrime Unit of the Israel Police , and Udi Levy, CEO of the outstanding software provider CobWebs Technologies.

Among other points, Selva Orejón highlighted the importance of collaboration and building links between public institutions and the private sector to find the best solutions to curb cybercrime.