Cyber attack can be like the Hiroshima nuke: The man who got Shin Bet to be serious on cyber

Dr. Harel Menashri, a founder of the Shin Bet's cybersecurity arm, recounted how he convinced the agency in the 1990s to take cyber threats seriously by demonstrating a "tiny Trojan" that could cause "Hiroshima-scale damage." He warned that malicious code can manipulate SCADA sensors to cause explosions or derail chemical trains, and that Iran possesses world-class capabilities to weaponize vulnerabilities rapidly. Menashri also criticized Israel's relationship with China, stating that "China is not Israel's friend," due to legal requirements for Chinese companies to provide data to their government, and the potential for Chinese vehicles used by Israeli defense officials to transmit sensitive information. He highlighted the Haifa Port dispute as an example of similar concerns, which required US intervention to bring to the Israeli Prime Minister's attention, and noted that subsequent oversight bodies remain inadequate.