Last Wednesday, Israel’s Army Radio reported one of the most consequential cybersecurity mandates, banning all IDF personnels from using any Android device, by extension, revealing that Apple has gained the iPhone security check by the army, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The decision was made, and announced, only weeks after Google bragged through a promotional campaign that Andoid is more secure than iPhones. Now, iPhones are the sole permissible smartphones in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as it works on to shut down a relentless wave of hackers’ incursions targeting army personnels’ communications.
The irony for Google is hard to ignore, especially since throughout the past two years, the Android parent faced relentless campaigns against its collaboration with the IDF. Most of them centered around its involvement in Project Nimbus – a cloud computing contract with AI tools provisions.
Israel, which developed a daunting set offensive cyber tools and capabilities over decades, is now finding its own networked society exposed to the same tactics it has long deployed and took advantage of.
For years, the self-proclaimed “only democracy in the Middle East” state demonstrated its ability to conduct sophisticated operations in the digital domain, notably in its neighbor Lebanon.
Israel has long been known for conducting severe, UN violations and war crimes in Lebanon, such as hacks into the country’s telecom network to send anti-Hezbollah propaganda messages to thousands of citizens, or even the breach of the Beirut Airport control tower’s communication network to force an Iranian plane to turn back.
Now, the digital wave is taking its different tolls, forcing the IDF to make dramatic defensive measures to secure iPhone security options that expose a new dangerous reality. Israel’s most advanced “cyber-superpowers” will – if not currently are – be outrun or targeted by rivals.
Is iPhone More Secure than Android for IDF Operations?
The focus on cyber threats has moved beyond high level espionage and into the daily lives of Israeli citizens, mirroring the propaganda attacks and psychological operations Israel is accused of carrying out elsewhere. But how secure are iPhones compared to Androids?
Last week, passengers at a central Israeli bus station were subjected to broadcasts of Arabic messages cursing political leaders and a Muslim prayer layered with siren like sound effects, a chilling reminder of how easily digital systems can be used for not intimidating but to give a taste of your own medicine.
Head of cybersecurity at the College of Management, Dr. Hemi Leibowitz, noted that the intent behind these actions is simply “to scare and sow fear.” The intense volume of attacks unprecedented wouldn’t have taken place with Apple global security measures. The anonymous senior figure stated that while cyber activity was intense during the Russian Ukrainian conflict.
“Whatever happened in Ukraine, happened tenfold in Israel,” the senior figure said. “This was especially true in the realm of deep fake and cybersecurity. In the past, there were specific dates when cyberattacks were coordinated; in the war, it was just nonstop. Most of the hackers are low-level, and their successes are limited.” said Dr. Leibowitz.
Campaigns that once struck only on specific dates are now occurring on an almost hourly basis. This iPhone security check demonstrates the unforgiving nature of cyber warfare. As fast as one nation develops a tool, another develops counter measure, or, worse, a higher weapon, turning the offensive cyber arsenal into a digital boomerang. As iPhone security updates take place, the IDF looks up to Apple iOS security as their national hero.
iPhone Security vs. Android Security
The recent IDF decision to restrict technology use, demanding iPhones for senior officers instead of Android devices and phasing out Chinese made electric vehicles (EV) over espionage fears, reveals what could only be a detrimental admission of vulnerability.
After Google prompted that Android is more secure than iOS following the global shift in the technological narrative, Israel did not abide by it yet chose Apple for the sake of its own sanity.
The IDF’s concern is that the complexity of the Android ecosystem makes it too difficult to secure against state intrusion, leading to the order that “under the expected order, commanders from the rank of lieutenant colonel and above will be permitted to use only iPhones for official communications. The step is aimed at reducing the risk of intrusions on senior officers’ handsets, according to the report.”
The iPhone security check, “locked down” ecosystem is fundamentally seen by the IDF as more protected against state level infiltration and supply chain attacks than Android’s more open platform, hence why global security Apple, won the hearts and minds of the IDF. The fear is deeply rooted in the fact that Israel’s enemies are finding success by targeting the weakest link, the supply chain.
“A common denominator of all of these is that Israel’s enemies are having difficulty undertaking direct cyberattacks against critical infrastructures, so they are targeting the supply chain,” senior figure in Israel’s cybersecurity industry, told The Media Line.
Adding to the downfall that Israel has been going through, targeted espionage campaigns against senior defense and government officials, sometimes linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), that use WhatsApp lures in the advanced social engineering that Iran has been practicing.
The fear is that the tech advantage Israel which has burned down Gaza and Lebanon, which has long been maintained is disappearing, as rival nations increase their focus and investment in the cyber domain, the IDF would focus on saving the day with Apple’s secure iOS.
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