US pressure pushes Israeli cyber field toward collapse: Israeli media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
5 Apr 2025 12:31
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An investigation reveals that the US is taking successive steps aimed at undermining this industry..

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In this Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, file photo, a logo adorns a wall on a branch of the Israeli NSO Group company, near Sapir (AP)

An escalation of US actions against "Israel's" offensive cyber industry has caused major companies like NSO and Candiru—key players in the occupation entity's tech sector—to lose their clients and employees, Israeli media reported.

An investigation conducted by Itai Ilnai, an investigative reporter for Israel Hayom, revealed that the US is taking successive steps aimed at undermining this industry, including revoking visas for Israeli employees, imposing sanctions on companies, and canceling major deals.

Industry officials considered the denial of cyber employees' entry to the US a "knock out" to the globally leading industry, arguing that Washington aims to pressure Tel Aviv.

One industry official stated that the Israeli Ministry of Security "has failed to handle the crisis, and we will all pay the price for the damage to our national security," adding, "If the Americans continue with these policies, we will lose the industry entirely. The situation has become extremely dangerous."

The investigation also pointed out that these pressures, which began intensively during the Biden administration, have significantly affected leading companies in the field, such as NSO and Candiru, leading to the loss of clients and the closure of companies like Quandrom.

Industry officials warned that "continuing these policies could lead to the complete collapse of the sector."

A source within the industry confirmed to the newspaper that "Israel's" security and military establishment has failed to address this crisis, describing the situation as "near paralysis" due to directives from the Ministry of Security.

The source emphasized that the ministry "froze licenses for deals that had already been signed, causing immense damage to the companies," explaining that it "chose to address issues related to sanctions on settlers rather than confronting the offensive cyber crisis."

Ex-IOF spies involved in Gaza genocide develop AI for int'l tech firms

The significance of the latest investigation is that the Israeli military's Unit 8200, a highly secretive cyber warfare division, is developing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that have been implicated in facilitating "Israel's" genocide in Gaza, the ¡Do Not Panic! website reported.

According to the report, Unit 8200 is actively involved in building AI systems for leading global technology and AI companies.

Former members of Unit 8200, specializing in AI, machine learning, and big data, are now employed by major tech firms such as Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Nvidia, which is recognized as the world's foremost AI company.

The website disclosed that these specialists are dispersed globally, with bases ranging from San Francisco and New York to Spain, Switzerland, London, and occupied al-Quds.

The report further highlighted that many of these AI experts from Unit 8200 are now driving innovation in AI startups and being celebrated by corporate media as the next wave of AI leaders.