Over the past few years, cyber-security has become an increasingly central part of the national defense strategy of countries around the world. The prospects of hackers breaking into the online systems managing water, electricity and other vital infrastructure means that states are ensuring to make sophisticated cyber security defense plans.
Deborah Housen-Couriel is an internationally renowned expert in this field. She is a Senior Research Fellow at Tel Aviv University, and at other Israeli universities, and she has also been on committees convened by the Israeli government, to devise cyber security strategies for Israel.
She recently spoke at both Harvard Law School, hosted by CAMERA-supported group HLS Alliance for Israel, and at MIT, hosted by CAMERA-supported group MIT Friends of Israel. She spoke about Israeli cyber defense, and government cyber regulation, while also talking about future prospects for growth and development in the field. Her talk included time for questions and discussion as well, and many students engaged in the discussion both during and after her lecture. The events also attracted a range of students, with some of them being attracted by the focus on Israel, and others attracted because of the topic of cyber-security.
Israel, the start-up nation, is a leading player in the cyber-security industry, with major international companies setting up Israeli offices, mainly focused in Be’ersheva, to develop cyber technologies. Lectures like these ones allow American students to gain from Israeli expertise, spreading Israeli knowledge around the world.
Contributed by Aron White, CAMERA intern
