Imagine a battlefield without borders. No trenches, no tanks. Just silent wars shaping nations' fates – hacks that disrupt cities, viruses designed to infiltrate critical infrastructure. From power grids to water supplies, cyberspace has become the frontline of modern conflict. Here, code is the weapon, and vigilance is the shield.

And winter is coming.

This ominous warning from the resoundingly popular show Game of Thrones served as a constant reminder of a brutal, impending, existential threat. In the modern world, it’s the clarion call for an ever-escalating cyber threat landscape that can cripple nations, economies, societies.

This chilling prediction of a “cyber winter” was given by Yigal Unna – digital gladiator and Israel’s former cyber chief. And his warning isn’t theoretical; it’s grounded in reality. 

Consider the 2020 incident when Iran allegedly attempted to poison Israel’s water supply. The attack was aimed to alter chemical levels, a move that could have endangered thousands. The former Director General of the Israel National Cyber Directorate said, “We will remember this as a turning point in modern cyber warfare,” stating how close the world has come to catastrophic cyber incidents.

For 36 years, Yigal Unna has been fighting an asymmetrical battle few of us fully understand. What does war look like when the frontlines disappear? When a teenager in a basement can launch an attack as devastating as a rogue state? The recent ‘pager attacks’ in Lebanon in September 2024 have captivated the world’s attention to this phenomenon more than anything else. A simultaneous explosion of wireless devices across Lebanon – killing over 37 and injuring 3250 – is like a Black Mirror episode coming to life.

From his early days in Unit 8200 – an elite division of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), playing a pioneering role in Israel’s cybersecurity advancements – Unna has fought wars where the enemies are anonymous, and the stakes? Everything from personal data to national security. Digital tools meant for connection can turn into weapons of disruption easily today. Every smartphone is a potential arsenal. Every app, a ticking time bomb.

In 2024, GPS spoofing impacted over 1,500 flights daily, throwing aviation into chaos. Jamming signals disrupted cargo routes. There’s a possibility that the recent bridge collapse in Baltimore might have been the result of navigational warfare. Each month, over 1.5 million phishing sites are created, with 97% of users unable to spot these traps. This is the modern theater of war: invisible yet devastating.

These real-world incidents sound like scenes from a techno-thriller, except they’re happening right now. Each one a reminder of how vulnerable our hyper-connected world has become. 

Yigal Unna’s role is part detective, and at SYNAPSE, he will navigate this digital labyrinth of threats and countermeasures. He will bring to light the hidden wars fought every day, urging the world to stay one step ahead in this dance of zeros and ones.

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