Benjamin Netanyahu cautions world over cyber hackers' threat

ISRAEL,

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the world to come together to fight cyber insecurity, which he described as a threat to "our lives and our businesses."

Mr Netanyahu said many countries have not appreciated the magnitude of the threats posed by cyber hackers yet no one was immune to them.

"Cyber insecurity is not exaggerated. It is real but the saving grace is that we have the tools to confront and defeat it if we are committed," Mr Netanyahu told thousands of delegates attending the Cyber Week conference at Tel Aviv University in Israel.

He said hackers pose a real threat to banks, airplanes, trains and vehicles, adding: "We can defend ourselves against this but it is challenging."

CYBER INVESTMENT

He praised his country for leading the way in the war on cyber insecurity, saying Israel’s share of global cyber security investment stands at 20 per cent.

"Cyber security will grow through cooperation and huge investments.

We are in a world that is undergoing huge transformation through increased connectivity and the growth of Artificial Intelligence, which has created a new industry," he told the delegates at the global conference.

He said Israel has computerised medical data for 98 per cent of its population and that it has 470 digital healthcare companies.

"The only way we are going to beat the hackers at their own game is by running ahead and out thinking them," he said.