Q-Day could lead to the hacking of countries’ nuclear weapons programs, former Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) chief Yigal Unna warned on Tuesday at the Cybertech Conference in Tel Aviv.
Regarding Q-Day, the question is whether jumps in quantum computing will cross a threshold in 2025, which will allow the hacking of virtually all existing online platforms that are based on RSA encryption at the heart of most of the internet.
While some observers believe that this threshold will only be crossed in the coming years, Unna said there were signs that it might have already been crossed, flagging that the Chinese had cracked a military-grade computer defense system in late 2024.
He said that in February, the Israel Innovation Authority warned all government ministries to map out their vulnerabilities and plans for defending those vulnerabilities from potential future quantum computing hacking threats.
He was INCD chief from 2018 to early 2022, after which Unna was replaced by Gaby Portnoy, who was INCD chief from early 2022 until February, including during the current war.
Portnoy warned at the conference that “Iran, with a click of a button, can attack Israel and is doing it three times more than before. But it can also attack the US, UK, Albania, and even the UAE and the Saudis.”
Cyber's October 7
“What will be October 7 in cyberspace, and are we ready for it? To meet this kind of challenge, we need to build better resilience, improve the culture of sharing, and adapt all of the time... It’s not just about critical infrastructure,” Portnoy said.
“But we must also look at our supply chain, our service providers, and the wider range of small and medium businesses,” said Portnoy.
Next, Portnoy said that the INCD showed its strength by conducting an “orchestra” of cyber defense systems along with the IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and other security agencies to protect Israel from hacking attacks during the war.
He added that cybersecurity’s motto was: “Never wait until it is too late.”
Acting INCD chief Nitzan Amar said that despite a 300% spike in cyber attacks against Israel by Iran and Hezbollah during the war, “we managed a zero success of major attacks against the Israeli cyberspace since October 7.”
Amar said that Israel’s enemies “could not harm Israeli national infrastructure or IDF operational freedom.”
President Isaac Herzog told the conference that there are “so many technological revolutions every day, and the war hasn’t changed that,” adding that it also has not changed that “Israel remains a leader in global innovation.”
Herzog said that Israel is still number one in start-ups per capita and emphasized that “so many leading experts converge together here from around the world” to collaborate on cyber issues.
These participants include “Abraham Accords nations that are dear partners and share many of the same challenges” in digital sphere security.
Moreover, Herzog said Israel and its partners “must use cyber, AI (artificial intelligence), and quantum to meet these challenges, but also to go beyond: To build a new regional architecture of peace and prosperity and to transform the Middle East from a source of international conflict and instability to a hub of innovation.”
Noam Bardin, the founder and former CEO of Waze, said, “When I look at the progress of the Israeli ecosystem, I don’t see risks regarding technological advancement. It will continue to grow and succeed.”
“The only thing that can stop us is ourselves. The judicial reform taking place these days is putting our democracy under threat. The only risk is that we become a non-democratic and non-liberal society,” said Bardin.
He added, “This is the moment when we are transitioning from a nation that nurtures start-ups to one that grows strong and successful global tech companies. This must not stop.”