Richard Stiennon's Security Yearbook 2020: A History and Directory of the IT Security Industry describes Israel as a bastion of Information Security innovation. The RSAC 2025 Conference Keynotes and speakers list proves his point as four of the 39 keynotes and almost 40 of the speakers are from Israel.

What exactly is Israel’s level of Information Security innovation? Based on Stiennon’s research, Israel was #2 on the list of most Information Security companies, trailing the United States with almost four times as many firms.

Stiennon’s research astonishingly shows that Israel has more security companies than the following five countries combined: the UK, Canada, India, Germany, and France How does Israel have more security firms than those five countries combined? The question is even more compelling given that Israel has a population of roughly 8 million, while those five countries have approximately 1.5 billion inhabitants.

The answer to that question is articulated in The Battle for Your Computer: Israel and the Growth of the Global Cyber-Security Industry (Wiley) by Alon Arvatz. Here, he articulately details the strong connection between the Israeli military and its high-tech industry. Specifically, it is Unit 8200 (where he served) of the Israeli Intelligence Corps unit of the Israel Defense Forces where many of the founders of these Information Security firms get their experience.

Israel is an incubator for Information Security firms because it sees cyber defense as critical to the country's future. Given the tight integration the military has there, it can examine people while they are in high school. This, in turn, gives the Israeli high-tech sector a tremendous pipeline for developing the country's brightest minds.

Arvatz's book features insights from some of the most famous names in the Israeli Information Security space. These include Gil Shwed of Check Point, Nir Zuk of Palo Alto Networks (who was previously a senior engineer at Check Point), Shlomo Kramer, co-founder of Check Point, Imperva, and Cato Networks, and many more. These insights provide a global view of how information security developed in Israel.

Spider-Man may be fantasy. But the line from the comic, “With great power comes great responsibility,” is something that every Information Security firm needs to consider. Arvatz does not whitewash those Israeli firms that didn’t step up to the plate regarding responsibility, of which the most well-known firm is NSO Group.

They are known for their offensive security tool Pegasus, which can perform smartphone surveillance. The problem is that NSO did not have proper oversight on who they sold Pegasus to, which led to its use for illicit and illegal purposes. To that degree, it was used to track down and monitor Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In 2021, the US Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added NSO to the Entity List for engaging in activities that are contrary to the national security of the United States.

The book gives the reader a thorough history of the development of the Israeli Information Security space from the perspective of those who created it. Check Point is the most well-known Israeli security company, from which came scores of other information security firms. There are over 40 significant information security firms run by ex-Check Point employees.

As the book title indicates, many adversaries battle for access to your data and computer. Israel has been at the forefront of Information Security, and without an Israeli, Adi Shamir, there would be no RSA. Without Israelis, much of Information Security as we know it would simply not exist.

Israel has led the way in information security, and everyone can learn much from its experiences. For those who want to understand how they did it, The Battle for Your Computer: Israel and the Growth of the Global Cyber-Security Industry shows you how. 

For those planning on attending the RSAC Conference next month, check out my piece, Making the most of your time at the RSAC Conference 2025. The RSAC Conference is massive, and if you show up without a plan, you’ll miss much of what the conference offers.