IDF cyber exercise tests AI tools to detect terror threats, defend Israeli systems

The IDF's Communications and Cyber Defense Directorate (Cyber Corps) held a five-day exercise at its new communications and technology campus in southern Israel this week, bringing together officer cadets completing their advanced technological training at Base 7 (Bahad 7) and approximately 160 additional soldiers from the military's communications and technology units.

The exercise was designed to test the cadets' ability to develop practical technological solutions to emerging cyber threats while preparing them for the operational and command responsibilities they will face in their future IDF units.

The participants were divided into three teams focused on development, defense and attack, with the shared goal of identifying potential vulnerabilities in Israeli systems and developing tools to address them. The cadets worked on software development, cyber defense and simulated offensive operations. The training program also included scenarios in which cadets were given command of teams comprising both new recruits and experienced soldiers. Scenarios included simulated terrorist attacks on Jewish community centers in other countries, as well as attacks on Israel itself.

"The software identifies suspicious keywords, such as 'weapon' and 'terror attack,'" said Cadet D., who commanded one of the teams during an exercise. "We're also examining the possibility of monitoring broadcasts and extracting essential information from them."

The ability to sift through vast amounts of online information is considered increasingly important by cybersecurity experts. The volume of information available online, both real and fake, has grown dramatically in recent years, making it increasingly difficult to identify potential terrorist threats in time to prevent an imminent attack without the assistance of AI tools.

"We discovered that until now, this task was performed manually," said Cadet M., who commanded a team assigned the task of monitoring media channels worldwide. "People would literally go through official and unofficial media channels looking for mentions of the military. Obviously, that's quite slow, and a lot of things can be missed."

Another participant, Cadet T. was responsible for the system's information-gathering component. He explained the process: "We try to cast a wide net with keywords and then narrow things down."

"We also want to monitor fictitious publications and build a situational picture that takes their impact into account.”

The cadet said the system could have applications beyond military operations, helping the IDF monitor its international image and strengthen its public diplomacy efforts.

Other training scenarios included a “red” team hacking into Israeli systems while a “blue” team defended against those attacks.

Cadet A. and Cadet R., members of the “red” team, said they were told to be an investigation team that would trace "every intrusion or compromise of a system."

The cadets said they identified a concealed microphone component in one of the stations during their scans. After removing its memory, they connected it to the system controlling the device.

They also discovered that the Wi-Fi network had been given a name to make it appear as though it belonged to someone's personal phone. However, the connection could allow an attacker to access sensitive information, including keystrokes and screenshots. "Now we're examining how to exploit that against them," they said.

Another exercise demonstrated how information could be extracted from a device by monitoring its electrical consumption. One cadet involved explained that the technique did not require installing a special sensor, but simply bringing a component close to the device's electrical current to extract data, including audio and visual information.

IDF Cyber Command officers overseeing the exercise said the five-day training demonstrated the cadets' ability to develop technological solutions and respond to cyber threats while preparing them for future operational and leadership roles.