Israel starts training teenagers to create ‘digital Iron Dome’

Israel’s Prime Minister officially opened a new national program to train teenagers in the art of cyberwarfare. Benjamin Netanyahu revealed plans to create a “digital Iron Dome” to protect vital infrastructure from hackers and viruses back in October, and hopes the new educational initiative will help develop a generation better-equipped to deal with a relatively modern form of attack. The new program will accept “outstanding pupils” aged between 16 and 18 and train them to intercept malicious attacks through a three-year course.

At the opening ceremony, Netanyahu said the course would “cultivate the generation of the future,” warning that Israel’s “vital systems” are under attack and that those attacks would only increase with time. The Prime Minister told prospective students that they will be the “future interceptors for the state.” Israel’s desire to bolster its digital security is mirrored by governments across the world. Although the US Cybersecurity Act of 2012 was canned by the Senate, the White House has drafted an executive order that outlines the best practices for businesses and government to protect themselves against attacks.