The Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) held a meeting with tech journalists on Wednesday, to mark one year since Gabi Portnoy took office as director, and discuss the work that has been done during this timeframe.

According to Portnoy, the INCD’s moves are done through cooperation with all involved parties. About 97% of the companies approached by the INCD have agreed to cooperate with its requests, without the need for legislation.

The INCD has also been running various forums in order to deepen cyber-related cooperation throughout the Israeli economy, and has also been enjoying a boom in cooperation agreements – on various levels – with 90 countries worldwide. This includes INCD support of countries who have been severely affected by cyberattacks, such as Albania and Costa Rica; forming relations with global corporate giants; the International Counter Ransomware Initiative, led by the US; and more.

Regarding legislation and regulation, the INCD representatives at the meeting explained that the previous bill (which was not made public) is off the table. But the organization does believe that legislation in necessary. “Without legislation that will allow for monitoring, supervision, enforcement and punishment, it will be next to impossible to promote a national cyber defense,” they explained. And they are right.

Portnoy looked into cyber legislation in democratic countries such as the UK, Australia and  Germany. Most of their legislation is based on the American NIST 2.0 cyber security framework, with necessary local adaptations. This is what INCD hopes to do in Israel as well.

Image - Courtesy of Israel National Cyber Directorate