Doron Amir, CEO of Unicorn CyTaka, declares a revenue outlook of $500 million for 2024, explains where we are headed, tells of the collaboration taking place in the spirit of the Abraham Accords and how he is able to marshal the best of the world's minds through a competition offering a prize of $1,000,000: "The integration of AI will lead to cyberattacks of a kind never before seen – ones much deadlier – but will also herald new defensive capabilities" | Written by: Asaf Levanon

After sparking outrage by paraphrasing that time-honored adage – "The best to be Pilots" – and rebranding it, rather, as "The best in Cyber", CyTaka CEO Doron Amir once again revamps a well-worn expression used in the past by the Israeli Mossad, replacing the biblical verse "For by wise council, thou shalt make thy war" with "For by wise council, thou shalt make Cyber".

Amir describes the rationale and business model of CyTaka, which aims to increase the number of cyber personnel of nations friendly to Israel (all we're doing is forming a "Unit 8200" for them to use for civilian purposes) and bolster the collaborations and sharing of information which enables the global creation of a common defense infrastructure to assist in preventing cyber-crimes in the business-civilian world. "I believe in 'For by wise council, thou shalt make Cyber' because in this world we have to be sophisticated, and without wise council you can't produce cyber, which mostly uses manipulative techniques – both human and technical – that allow you to finally achieve your purpose; and this includes taking advantage of technical or human vulnerabilities."

The World Cyber Championships held by CyTaka take place in different parts around the globe. The company attained the impressive feat of being, in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, the first cyber company in the world to be displayed, in a collaboration with the Cyber Security Council of UAE, in a joint projection on the Burj Khalifa. In it's World Cyber Championships, CyTaka invites hackers from all over the world to complete for monetary prizes, including for the grand prize of $1,000,000. The contestants, arriving from various countries around the world, such as from Europe, the United Arab Emirates, India, the U.S. and others, share information and compete as teams or singles against the unique challenges of cyber developed by CyTaka.

CyTaka's World Cyber Championships are known by many, but its business model is no less fascinating, based as it is on the sale of cyber training programs, created during the competitions themselves, among other places. "We don't offer courses on cyber and we're not an employment agency", Amir is quick to emphasize. "That's not what we're needed for, there are enough of those in industry and academia. We're a supplementary product that provides the training tier for cyber challenges of information security personnel. When the student wants to put the knowledge accumulated by them over the course of their studies to good use, enhance their capabilities and amass experience that will allow them to start working in this field – we provide them with dynamic training, updated monthly, on diverse security challenges, and our update engine is created by the cyber competitions we hold."

Amir explains that one of the problems of cyber is its resemblance to the world of medicine: There is a multitude of disciplines and sub-disciplines, and no single 'physician' could possibly be adept in all of them. "That is why our competitions are dedicated to a different security topic every time: drone flight, electric car control systems, sensors, controllers and, of course, AI. This diversity allows us to introduce even ten different vectors into a single exercise. A controller made by an elevator company or a sensor for an electric car that provides indications about the car's brakes seemingly have nothing to do with maritime cyber, satellite cyber, communications and internet cyber; but ultimately, everything has to do with everything. Many of the challenges are ones we find (and buy) on the darknet and then reverse-engineer them for research purposes. After the competitions, we publish the solutions, and cyber personnel can use the information to hone their cyber capabilities."

Selling "8200" to other countries

The price of CyTaka's training programs, which include a unique collection of challenges broken down by various levels and contemporary fields ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 per single trainer's license and includes preparation for professional qualifications, contingent on a minimum of 1,000 licenses. The programs are intended for countries wishing to train their personnel and thereby increase the number of cyber experts in that country. "We are a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company and we don't sell our training programs directly to the customer but rather only to countries that are willing to collaborate and promote the field of positive cyber together, providing a response to the security needs of citizens and businesses in cyberspace. I believe that in 2024 we'll cross the target number of 100,000 cyber security experts and developers round the world actively participating in our cyber training program."

Does a Cyber training program have to be adjusted to the purchasing country?

"Cyber is such a sensitive subject that each transaction requires regulation complying with that country's restrictions and directives," clarifies Doron Amir, "as to the required adjustment, some countries even avoid using the term "cyber" at all, preferring such titles as 'defense' or 'security'. Then there are those that ask us to take certain subjects out of the program, such as certain communications protocols or components that the country in question fears would fall into the wrong hands. They have these concerns despite the fact that all of our cyber challenges are based on knowledge easily accessible in civilian life that is neither military nor confidential. On our part, the important thing is that the training programs reach the end users and provide young people and students with an opportunity to enter the cyber industry and work their way up in it. Each country has such an interest because cyber boosts employment numbers, offers high salaries and, naturally, provides the tools to defend against attacks and reduce the costs of cyber damages detrimental to the economy, not to mention the value of reducing a certain percentage of cyber-crimes committed in the world."

How are cyber challenges created?

"In addition to our special team that is composed of cyber experts and creative cyber security professionals, we also use the darknet - the internet that isn't accessible to ordinary browsing. On the darknet you can find new malware that no one knows yet – so a defense against this is still not published. This kind of information is sensitive and important, and if we can get our hands on it – which we often do – then we can conduct a process of predicting the danger that's currently out and about in the black market, but tomorrow can break free, spread out and hurt a lot of people. We work with manipulation and social engineering tactic That's a good way of helping to deal with the global arm's race of the cyber world, where on the one hand hackers are getting better and better and on the other, cyber personnel are developing defenses."

In practice, you also use hackers who have crossed the lines and turned from attackers to defenders.

"That's true, and these people aren't easy to find and employ. Fortunately, the cyber competitions we hold around the world draw cyber experts to us that are otherwise very hard to reach at all. They mostly operate on the darknet, on private and anonymous networks, and they use nonstandard communication protocols. These people don't work by the book and you can't simply reach out to them online – they might think you're an undercover agent out to get them. When we hold a World Cyber Championship and offer $1,000,000 as the 1st-place prize, they come to us, wanting to use their knowledge and skills amassed over their years of activity. We let them participate in the competition and have a shot at cracking our unique cyber challenges, and in return they're given an opportunity to enter the industry respectably and make money legally by doing what they do best – hack."

Does the fact that you're holding the cyber competitions as a live event provide any advantage?

"The competitions are effectively the primary driving force that gives CyTaka access to hackers and other cyber experts. It's a capability that can't be duplicated by being executed remotely and digitally – and that is also why many digital training and teaching platforms failed in this field. In the past, everyone who produced simulations or remote access to cyber challenges couldn't attract real hackers because of the anonymity barrier. I myself had an idea in the past that had a very different approach, of generating willingness to share information by way of a video game engine; but reality turned out to be the opposite – that without live competitions and meeting the people you have no chance of obtaining critical information. Hackers don't trust these platforms and don't contact them – and therefore can't be recruited. The odds of them divulging an authentic detail to such an entity digitally is nil. When they come to our competitions, visit, look around, feel around – that's when they feel safer. No one knows who they are until the moment they decide to associate with us, to voluntarily provide their information and prove that they're genuine hackers. That is why I see the World Cyber Championship and the competitions we hold in un orchestrated fashion as the breakthrough that has introduced something new to the industry."

And is that enough to make them want to work with you?

"In actual fact, many of them want to be on the legal side of things rather than on the criminal side that puts their freedom on the line. In the legal world they can do the same work, except on the defense side, and know for sure that no one is going to arrest them."

By way of an example, Amir lists Kevin Mitnick, one of the world's most famous hackers, who passed away this July. Mitnick was wanted by the FBI after having hacked the networks of large technology companies. In the early 2000's he crossed the lines and started operating on the "clean" side of the field, even publishing books on the hacking techniques he used.

"A cyber genius ahead of his time. The last contact I had with him was in November 2022," Amir recollects. "He's a good example of the hackers that are today's cyber experts, who are often a combination of a hacker – even one convicted of crimes in the past – and an information security consultant who uses the offensive knowledge he gained for defense purposes. Mitnick underwent this evolution, and in his final years he promoted cyber education initiatives. He was a candidate for handing out a prize at one of CyTaka's cyber championships, but sadly he passed away prematurely. There are other hackers who want to make the transition from the criminal world to the professional and ethical world and harness their skills for combating cybernetic crime."

With such a roster, I'm starting to realize why CyTaka doesn't flaunt its employees on LinkedIn.

"When people ask me why we're so secretive, I answer that that's the way it is when you're surrounded by the best of cybers' minds. Also, since cracking a cyber challenge we created could net the cracker a prize of up to $1,000,000, compartmentalization and secrecy are vital. Many cyber attackers would love to get their hands on a challenge that could win them a $1,000,000 prize. Accordingly, the way we engineer the challenge is by having several different teams from different areas create it, so that until it's presented at the championship, no one – including me – is familiar with it in full. That is the only way to neutralize threats of extortion and information theft/leaking. People can attempt to squeeze and more to get $1,000,000."

Cyber is reminiscent of the world of modern medicine: a virus and the immune system working against it

Since 'The Best in Cyber' advertising campaign when even the IDF Chief of Army made a reference to, are you still making similar campaigns?

'The Best in Cyber' advertising campaign caused heated debate, despite the fact that we meant well and never wanted to provoke anyone. All we did was open a door to high-tech and, naturally, to cyber for everyone, including combat and combat-support soldiers, in addition to excellent cyber personnel. That was how fighter pilots' recruitment worked at the time and that's how we recruited people for cyber; but, as they say, every dark cloud has a silver lining. The latest employee recruitment campaign we did, which was also included displaying the slogan "You are the Best" and "If you are a Genius, join to us" on Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv, was beneficial for everyone, which means everyone's good, and the geniuses among them are of course always welcome to send us their CV at any time."

How actually serious is the cyber threat today?

"We are currently in the midst of an incident that attracts government, military and business entities, with breaches and incursions that we hear about from time to time. We've all seen on the news headlines how critical infrastructures are being attacked, even disabled, and how critical data is being stolen. It's no longer a matter for privileged intelligence reports. These are damages that could lead to fatalities and even impact elections and governments. An attack on the health system, for instance, could create panic in addition to the technical damages, and an attack on industrial control systems (ICS) could create simulated cyberattacks, not just in the aspect of the cost of the damage. Also, our light rail has just been inaugurated and is already a prime target for a cyberattack with potential casualties being higher than what we know compared to terrorist attacks targeting public transportation."

How much time would it take to train cyber personnel to help deal with the challenge?

"Training good and professional cyber personnel is not a short process. Our full training program takes two years, and this is without accounting for the background required for undergoing it – which is at least three years of academic studies in the field. This means a minimum of at least five years, and even that depends on the quality of the students and the frequency of the sessions. There are concentrated programs directed at more designated populations, such as the training programs offered by the IDF military's Unit 8200, which trains soldiers effectively and quickly, but that's no great feat since their inductees are the best and the brightest. It's a lot easier to train geniuses and the gifted. What's reassuring in this field is that there is greater and greater involvement by women, so that the cyber field can nowadays certainly be defined as multi-gender."

Maybe AI would be of help?

"The integration of AI has indeed significantly empowered cyber, on the defensive side as well but even more dramatically on the offensive side. If in the past an attacking hacker would have used certain software tools to amplify the damage he can do – AI software will allow him to be even more deadly. He could act not as a single hacker but as a thousand. AI will allow him to write malware and even machine-produced malware that's interconnected and synchronized, including capabilities of informed decision-making according to the dynamic of the attacked target – thereby amplifying the malware's ability to spread and also extending its lifetime prior to the exposure. I know we are currently facing cyberattacks that are much more complex and much deadlier, but sadly, it's only after they break out that we'll be able to tell where they came from and to fix it."

Sounds rather alarming. Is there anything we can do about this, any way to prepare for it in advance?

"Yes. While the integration of AI will lead to cyberattacks of a kind never before seen – ones much deadlier – it will also herald new defensive capabilities. AI would have an immense effect on the defense aspect as well. This already brings us to a "war of the machines", waged between a machine trained to detect any offensive capability and an offensive machine that learns the defense's secrets and tries to get around them. I believe cyber will remain a hot topic for years to come, since the field, in and of itself, poses a quantum leap that will engage the world of technology on unprecedented levels."

So are we destined to wage a cyber war for all eternity?

"In my estimate, this race will change tracks when more tangible elements of quantum computing are introduced into the mix. That will be the point where both worlds, of attack and of defense, are fundamentally transformed. When will we finally be able to rest easy? When quantum computers become a thing. Countries will have quantum computing, will treat it like they treat a nuclear weapon and will protect it accordingly. But until quantum computing emerges, there will be no tie-breaker."

Enriching and refining the world of cyber

The insight of the key role of AI in the cyber arena has led CyTaka to integrate more AI elements in its coming competitions, among them the next World Cyber Championship. Competitors will have to crack more sophisticated challenges on their way to the $1,000,000 prize. Amir foresees that the integration of this innovative technology will significantly raise the entry bar.

"In the past, we had about 1,000 candidates passing the bar in each competition. After the multiple screenings, we got to the ten leading candidates fighting for the $1,000,000 – both among themselves and against our master computer that sent them automatic scripts and known cyber methodology to make the challenge more difficult. Now that we have added the AI algorithms to the existing gauntlet, it's much more difficult. Instead of facing ten or a hundred hackers, it's like battling a thousand of them."

What if no one proves up to the challenge?

"The competitions aren't just for testing cyber personnel's capabilities and handing them a medal and a check at the end. The goal is to enrich and refine the world of cyber. These competitions are where hackers from all countries get to meet one another, even people from countries that don't have diplomatic relations with Israel such as Pakistan, Tunisia and Iraq and even from Iran. When these people get together, they try to get a grasp of the cyber conflict taking place around the world. This can result in a large network of people who work to expose vulnerabilities for purposes of developing a defense, rather than using those vulnerabilities for attacking and causing negative impact, and that is effectively the goal. There's no digital platform that can compete with the physical contact taking place in the outside world. That is why I always say 'it's all about people', with all due respect to the digital systems and even to AI."

With this kind of cyber expertise, why doesn't CyTaka sell cyber defense tools to the market?

"We're not here to sell offensive or defensive components, and we are definitely not NSO style. We assist with cyber education to help citizens who are experiencing an infringement of their privacy and security in cyberspace. Citizens and business owners haven't gone into cyber; it just reached them under the auspices of progress and has caught the vast majority of them unprepared and unprotected. We'd like to facilitate the victory of man over machine, not to sell defensive or offensive tools to customers. All of our development work is carried out for research and training purposes.

After you were chosen for 'Man of the Year' and now one of the 'Most Impactful people in Israel', how is the feeling ?

All our achievements actually belong to the vision I represent and the people who support us since the get-go: government personnel, military personnel, intelligence chiefs and elected officials, including the cyber experts and the information security community. That is why I always say: It's all about people. Without our partners to this project, it would have been nothing but a vision."

Doron Amir – CEO of CyTaka

Previous positions: CEO of cyber companies, VP of Technologies at International companies.

Hobbies: Diving, motorcycles and sports cars.

Motto to live by: "When you have to shoot, shoot; don't talk."

A personal dream he'd like to make come true: "Hold a cyber competition on the moon with Elon Musk."

"Our competitions are where hackers from all countries get to meet one another, even people from countries that don't have diplomatic relations with Israel such as Pakistan, Tunisia and Iraq and even from Iran. When these people get together, they try to get a grasp of the cyber conflict taking place around the world, to enrich and refine the world of cyber. This can result in a large network of people who work to expose vulnerabilities for purposes of developing a defense, rather than using those vulnerabilities for attacking and causing negative impact."

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"When you step into the shoes of a CEO - suddenly everything is up to you. The whole system depends on you and all employees look at you: the decisions, the achievements, the successes and also the failures. You understand that you have a lot of weight on you, a lot of families who need to end the month with dignity - and this is in a shaky reality of a pandemic, changing foreign exchange rates, budgetary changes and more. It's a big challenge. Still, there's nothing like getting up in the morning and knowing that you're going to work with the added value, one that saves lives. It keeps you motivated on good days and on rough days as well," states Amichai Glattstein, CEO of IDenta, a company that specializes in the production of testing kits for the detection of drugs and explosives.

Glattstein grew up within the company, which was a kind of family business. His father, who was the Israel Police Research and Development Officer in the field of chemistry, established IDenta together with a partner who managed it for about two decades. With the retirement of the previous CEO, Glattstein stepped into his shoes after having held several management positions in the company over the previous decade. Since then, he has made significant changes, making the company profitable after many years of struggling financially. He currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area, where the company's headquarters is located.

• What important moves have you made in the past year?

"Until recently, the company's products were intended solely for the government (police-military) market. In 2022, we changed strategy and started selling in the civil-retail market under the 'Touch&Know' brand.  We concentrated on the market segment of concerned citizens and the home testing market, which gained significant momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is also the year we opened the American office, after a long period of having our office located only in Israel. With the opening of our American office, we were able to start significant activity in the US market, in addition to our already significant activities in the European and Asian markets. We have expanded our product portfolio from a single line of products to many dozens. We have developed and registered a number of technological patents around the company's products and listed the company to be on the OTCQB Exchange, which is traded in the United States."

• How is your field of activity relevant to the civilian market?

"As a result of the serious drug problem in the U.S., civilian customers are also interested in our test kits. Last year, more than 100,000 people died in the country from overdoses, especially from the dangerous drug fentanyl. We decided that the civil/retail public also would benefit from buying the same kits that the government institutions purchases. I'm sure that's how we've saved many lives in the U.S. with our home drug tests. Concerned parents can identify their children's drug use and thus address the problem discreetly at home, without immediate outside intervention."

"We will always take responsibility, even when it comes to something that is not necessarily related to us"

Despite IDenta's strong international activity, it is careful to function as an Israeli company, producing all its products in Jerusalem and marketing the company with Israel's blue and white colors.  It also employs people with disabilities, pensioners, ultra-religious, and new immigrants. "Even with all the costs and challenges surrounding it - this is something that is important to us, it is our contribution to Israeli society and we are proud to do so," says Glattstein.

• What have been the main challenges your industry has experienced in the past year and how have you dealt with them?

"The biggest challenge in the past year was the fall of currency rates against the Israeli Shekel. Because most of our receipts are in foreign currencies and most of the expenses are in Shekels, we suffered greatly from this. In addition, the price of raw materials has increased dramatically. We coped with the help of shekel loans from local banks and saving foreign currency for future use. Unfortunately, we also had to raise the prices of products. In a competitive market, such an action is not welcome, but we had no choice."

• What are your guidelines in routine and crisis management?

"In my routine, I make sure to remain optimistic, smile and try to open up multiple possibilities at the same time. In the world of production there are countless crises of various magnitudes on a daily basis: malfunction of production machines, problems with the supply of raw materials and transportation, defective products and also problems with customers. When it comes to the latter - the most important thing is to always give the customer the feeling that he is right and that we will do everything to satisfy him. We will always take responsibility, even when it comes to something that is not necessarily related to us. A crisis must not be ignored. It is important to recognize it, to understand it and to solve it together with the relevant parties.  It is important to work rationally and find the right people to help resolve it. The nature of human beings is to help and support, certainly in the world of industry, which is a kind of broad family of people who want the best for you and your success - because your success is also their success."

IDenta Products 

• Drug Identification Kit: A kit that identifies 30 types of drugs serving both government users and retail customers, as well as educational institutions and families. Beyond the functionality in the kit, it also conveys to parents that the school is aware of the problem of drugs, fights it, and understands that it is necessary to address the issue. In families raising adolescents, the assessment can be used to identify the problem discreetly and to treat it internally without external intervention. In addition, it also conveys to the adolescent children that the parents are aware of the danger and thus serve as "see and be seen".
• Explosives Detection Kit: One kit that can detect 21 different explosives. The kit identifies explosives by producing an immediate color change.  In this way, the security officer has real-time certainty about any suspicious material and the degree of danger in it. These kits, which are widely used in many airports, airlines, and militaries around the world, help increase security and literally save lives.

"The combination of these two kits provides security personal with the ability to identify over 95% of all the suspicious materials circulating in the world. This is a unique solution offered by our company that covers a huge variety of materials," says Glattstein.  "Therefore, my vision is that every security professional in the world will be equipped with IDenta products as an integral part of a comprehensive security solution in the field. At the same time, I aspire that in every school and in every home in the world where there are adolescents, there will also be our drug detection kit, which will make it possible to keep children safe and secure."

Details:

Amichai Glattstein – CEO, IDenta

Age: 41

Marital Status: Married with 4 Children.

Place of Residence:  Formerly: Jerusalem. Currently: Washington, D.C. area, USA.

Education:  B.A., Logistics and Economics.

Past Positions:  Production Manager, Chief Operating Officer.

Hobbies: Soccer, Basketball, Skiing, Singing.

Leading Motto:  Don't postpone anything for tomorrow.

A personal dream that wants to come true:  Learn to play the piano.

Government Site: www.identa-corp.com

Consumer Site: www.touch-know.com

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StarDox is an advanced AI and machine learning tool, developed by Stargo, resulting in high efficiencies, high margins, and an improved business conversion, addressing the freight, logistics, and supply chain industries. The company founder Joel Sellam reveals how this will be achieved, what the implications will be, and where the company is heading in the near future

Extracting unstructured data from all document formats, including free text, converting it into structured data, and turning manual processes into automated ones – this is the vision of Stargo. The company was founded by Joel Sellam in late 2016, five years later the company is employing 40 people and up to date has raised 35 million USD, leveraging advanced artificial intelligence technologies, Stargo has overcome major technical and computational challenges. Today, its AI engine is able to extract, structure, standardize, and enrich any type of text and files, including PDFs, Excel documents, and emails with attachments, in a fully automated manner within seconds. This information can then be seamlessly integrated into any ERP, TMS, or financial systems, enabling the freight, logistics, and supply chain industries to digitize and automate their processes.

"Automation enables the company to more accurately and consistently monitor its operations and receive accurate analysis in real-time".

"This is a great achievement. Only a few technology companies around the world can do this today – and I'm proud that our technology and solution are considered as a leading one, in this vertical", says Joel. "Now, our customers can process documents efficiently, saving a lot of time and money. The system is cloud-based, and the implementation is quick and easy. We are bringing full automation, significantly impacting on improvements, efficiencies, and profitability. Manual processes rely on skilled personnel – therefore are costly. The added value StarDox can bring, is significant, not just to one company or another, but to the entire industry, with different opportunities for growth. To date, Stargo works with multi-billion-dollar global corporations. Upon the proof-of-concept processes, our customers have seen major improved results, thereafter contracts were signed. Full production is scheduled for early 2023. 2022 wrapped up as a year with two major achievements: our ability to develop full automation and reach a high level of accuracy in data extraction as well as our breakout into the global market, with the ability to influence improved automation, digitize processes, in leading companies".

"The implementation of high-quality structured data will lead to increased automation and ultimately generate revenue through improved data value. This represents numerous opportunities for growth".

The goal: to enhance the value of organizations

"The implementation of high-quality structured data will lead to increased automation and ultimately generate revenue through improved data value. This represents numerous opportunities for growth".

Joel is an entrepreneur with extensive experience in logistics and the supply chain for over two decades now. Among other positions, he served as a director and CEO at various logistics companies. Throughout his career, he conducted most of his work at various international locations. When asked about the defining moment of his career, he replied that was the shift from traditional logistics and supply chain to the advanced technology world. "That was certainly significant for me. I was driven by the desire to use automation and optimization to improve the organization's processes, particularly regarding price optimization, by using artificial intelligence, and the ability to process large amounts of data through the cloud. Not too long ago, data was not considered a significant challenge for organizations, but now it is considered essential for success in the business and industrial sectors. This realization played a major role in my own transformation and led me to the conclusion that it was the right time to make the change".

Q: Do you believe that the company's work has the potential to have a global impact?

"Our aim is not to revolutionize the world, but to provide organizations with significant additional value through increased efficiencies, improved data accuracy, and increased profits. This will directly influence growth in customer numbers, allow for a focus on added value for customers, provide more opportunities for employee training as logistics and shipping consultants, and reduce the need for manual office work. The industry will become more digital".

As an example, Joel cites a billion-dollar international shipping company that until recently required hundreds of employees to manually input data into information systems. The implementation of Stargo's system has allowed a significant portion of the organization's staff to be reassigned to other tasks, providing the company with tremendous added value. "Automation enables the company to more accurately and consistently monitor its operations and receive accurate analysis in real-time. The employees have been freed to serve the customers more effectively and intensely", he says. "With our AI tool, we achieve full automation, resulting in a significant increase in efficiencies".

Q: What major challenges has the logistics field faced in recent years?

"The impact of COVID-19 has been significant, leading to drastic changes in the market. During the pandemic, there were steep price increases and difficulties in securing shipping space as deliveries became very unavailable. The market has now returned to normal, and prices have returned to pre-COVID levels. Companies are seeking ways to streamline their operations. This represents an opportunity for us to assist them in achieving that".

Q: What are the guidelines you follow during routine times and crisis management?

"During normal operations, I give the management team the authority and resources they need to make decisions and guide the company forward. We are fortunate to have highly skilled and talented individuals on our team. We also regularly engage with external organizations to gain new perspectives and insights, which helps us improve our performance. During times of crisis, it's important to adopt a flexible and innovative mindset at all levels of the organization. This includes involving employees at all levels, from junior developers to the chief development officer, in think tank sessions where they can think outside the box, challenge fixed patterns, and come up with alternative approaches. This is especially crucial for startups, which often face a range of crises, from fundraising to technological challenges".

Q: What is your vision for the company's long-term future?

"To enable the management team and all employees to successfully guide the company's operations now and in the future, we have assembled a highly competent team of professionals. Our company culture is outstanding, and our employees have a strong sense of teamwork. Stargo plans to expand into new market sectors such as insurance and finance, and our top priority is to make Stargo a company that significantly improves processes and increases our customers' profits.".

ID

Joel Sellam, CEO and founder of Stargo

Founded in: October 2016

Field: A deep tech company specializing in the worlds of artificial intelligence, including deep learning, machine learning, and reinforced learning.

Industry: Freight, logistics, and supply chain.

Solution: The company specializes in extracting unstructured data and converting it into structured and enriched data, as well as calculating optimal prices for all freight, logistics, and supply chain processes.

Innovation: Multiple layers of artificial intelligence and machine learning allow to handle an unlimited number of formats and free text, resulting in fast calculations, high accuracy, and significant financial savings for organizations.

Motto: Turning data into revenues.

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Tel Aviv, Dubai, New York, Mumbai, Sydney, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, and soon even in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The common denominator for all of these and other many large cities in the world is that they are all on the cyber map for the CyTaka World Championship designed for hackers and programmers, and as Doron Amir calls them – Cyber Programmers. Amir founded the CyTaka (World Cyber Championship for Programmers) in 2020 as a means to create the largest cyber community in the world – with prize winning competitions and opportunities to show and upgrade cyber skills competitively and sportingly, and to even leave with prize-money, a high-tech position or prestigious cyber-excellence award.

Amir explains: "The World Cyber Championship for Programmers began as a social project. My intention was to create a new hybrid called a 'Cyber Programmer', who is a cyber expert that comes from the world of programming, without necessarily having any background in cyber or intelligence, and without any connection to any military background. If a programmer can write code that listens to a network printer or computer keyboard – then with the correct direction that code can be converted into various cyber actions. For someone like that, the road to expertise is shorter than for those lacking the background required for more prolonged training within military units such as 8200. Unlike the IDF, we do not produce military cyber, moreover, we focus on civilian cyber that provides an answer to a civilian's modern-day environment. For example, civilians are more concerned about their Tik-Tok or Instagram accounts than Iran's nuclear program".

"Artificial Intelligence has abducted the crown from the cyber realm, but it does not provide a solution to the shortage of manpower in this field and this is it's task for the coming years"

So 'The Best in Cyber' has replaced 'The Best are Pilots' but what is it like being under direct attack from the IDF Chief of Staff?

"It is criticism, not an attack. I don't think anyone could survive an attack by the IDF Chief of Staff who, as far as I am concerned, is the most powerful person in the world. Exactly a year ago, in December 2021, I advertised on billboards in Herzliya with the slogan 'The Best in Cyber' – and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi criticized it scathingly, something that had never before happened in Israel – and in addition, this happened at the most prestigious event in the IDF, the Pilot's course graduation ceremony, in the presence of the President of Israel and the Minister of Defense. Despite it being a complete surprise, I responded quickly in order to protect the venture and to explain that the message called for equal opportunities and that we were coming from the same place – to mend the gaps between the cyber technology people and fighters in the field. And now, a year later it is apparent that the IDF has also adopted my approach, or perhaps inspired by 'The Best in Cyber' venture, they have chosen to award cyber warriors with prizes. It is encouraging to see the IDF follow my approach and publish that they award up to 200,000 Shekels to cyber experts who remain in the army. There is no doubt that the fighters are the best, but also the Best are in Cyber and this combines excellently, just like the soldier-technology combination which can be seen amongst the 'Armored Shield Protection (Trophy) technology that provides a technological envelope of safety for the armored corps soldiers. Cyber and soldiers together in the field form a strong and smart IDF".

It is best for the Country; the competition winners are snapped up for cyber jobs on their way to the stage.

Doron Amir volunteered for combat service during his time in the military. After his discharge from the IDF he began to specialize in programming, data security and cyber, taught and lectured on the subject in universities and at the Technion, Israel's Institute of Technology (as an authorized lecturer on behalf of the external studies unit). At the same time, he continued consulting on these subjects to many entities, in Israel and abroad, including government and securities entities, through the company he established.

"A hacker with good intuition knows better and faster, in some scenarios, how to attack or defend compared to a hacking machine based on artificial intelligence that works methodologically and without intuition, despite the machine having dramatically higher calculative and analytical abilities'

"We give opportunities to those that did not serve in 8200 and did not take the typical cyber route", says Amir. "We reach everywhere in the country, from the furthest South to the greenest North, and while everyone is talking about gaps, we are busy seeking out the geniuses, no matter where they were born or who their parents are. Even if they have no connections, if they win our cyber competitions (and not only first place) – there is a chance that within 24 hours they will find jobs in cyber and be seated next to the 8200 geniuses. The competition winners are snapped up for cyber jobs on their way to the stage.

What other challenges are currently facing the cyber world, other than the manpower shortage?

"Current perception of cyber is that of a security tool, suited for the IDF or other national security organizations. And indeed, a significant portion of the field deals with security threats, however, the general public is also exposed to cyber-attacks on a personal level – and there is no proper response available. A simple civilian cyber-attack is comprised of the same strategic elements that lead to national cyber-attacks. For example: a cyber attack on a group of contacts connected to a family member of a prime minister anywhere in the world can reach that prime minister and cause injury. In other words, a simple civilian cyber attack becomes national and deadly in the same way that civilian pilot licenses were used for the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA. Most people are not aware of this – they live naively in a modern bubble and think that social media can be used at any age and however you want, but it inevitably is a non-sterile region and there are prying eyes. The Internet is not a pharmacy, and wherever there are people there are mistakes, trickery and plotting.  Cyber and human rights do not always go together. To me, it seems surreal to discuss terms of privacy when throughout the web, people initiate the exposure of personal details, photos, and location updates in real time. An attacker can, by using simple correlations, create a bank of quality and updated targets to plan various and varied cyber-attacks, which is why we need to increase the number of cyber people in countries that want technological independence and modern life. In the same way as in the military, Today, there is no such thing as being a fighter or a pilot without intelligence, cyber and technology so can there be no modern country without cyber abilities including an assertive response to cyber events in small businesses or the daily lives of civilians. All attack and defense mechanisms are temporary and with time weaknesses are uncovered or sophisticated tools are created making the cyber of yesterday meaningless, in the same way as a Native Indian proudly demonstrates his new breakthrough bow and arrow with new abilities to shot 30 arrows per minute, while you suggest to him using a machine gun that can fire 6,000 bullets per minute! One cannot be complacent despite all the protective organizations, starting with National Defense and ending with anti-virus and other security services that exist today. However, there is a need to create more cyber security solutions ranging from first aid to all round attack responses, including focused technological sabotage of attack sources in order to shut them down and create stoppage and deterrence which requires a more available civilian cyber-attack force that can operate more excessively and faster.

Where is offensive cyber currently and what needs to be done?

"There is a lot to do. Mainly, a change needs to be made in the stalemate on the subject of offensive cyber, which happened following the NSO affair, which according to publications, sold offensive cyber tools to combat crime but their clients used these tools for other political needs. Dealing with this subject eventually formed a situation of once bitten, twice shy. Its like selling a salad knife to a customer who then uses it as a murder weapon – and the following day the law will permit the sale of butter knives only. I prefer to raise the subject at every relevant opportunity, for example, I raised the subject at a meeting in memory of General and Head of Mossad, the late Meir Dagan, before the Supreme Court President Hon. Judge Esther Hayut, who gently advised approaching the regulator on this subject. There is no doubt that regulation is needed to create the framework, however, I think that a wider discussion on the subject needs to happen and order must be brought to the chaos in the field, that can clarify for the companies selling or operating offensive cyber mechanisms – to use their technology to prevent crimes and create active defense, and not to build terrorist networks or to harm human rights. Without offensive cyber, the public will be exposed and will lose their most basic individual rights. There is no place for the weak in the binary rules of the dark web".

"To me, it seems surreal to discuss terms of privacy when throughout the web, people initiate the exposure of personal details, photos, and location updates in real time. An attacker can, by using simple correlations, create a bank of quality and updated targets to plan various and varied cyber-attacks"

The mission: Using cyber to defend civilians in the modern life around the world

Alongside the criticism, there are many good deeds that assist in promoting civilian cyber taking it to an educational and moral level, especially in Israel. Support comes from all ends of the political range, educationists, military and security and anywhere there is a desire to promote technological education and cyber employment direction.

"The first cyber competition in Israel was given the blessing of former Head of Mossad Danny Yatom, when we held a cyber competition for 50 hackers in Tel Aviv. We continued to create a combination of competitions between peripheral and central cities such as the Cyber Negev Cyber Championship held in the south of Israel, Sde Boker (in the Negev). Cyber experts competed against other cyber experts who attacked them from our company offices in the Center of Israel, Herzliya. The former Ex Director of Israel's National Cyber Directorate, Yigal Unna, who is also a member of the company's Advisory board, attended the competition. The Cyber Champion Medal named after Meir Dagan was awarded at that competition by the former IDF Chief of Staff (and current MK) Gadi Eisenkot, who made an inspiring speech about excellence and leadership. At another event in the north of Israel (Kiryat Ata), a cyber championship was held with the participation of Mayor Yaakov Peretz, who acted and promoted the National Cyber Day thereby enabling us to reach hundreds of students in the region who participated and prove cyber and software skills. The contents of the cyber challenges in the competition were unique and inspired by cyber issues in the medical field. The event was encouraged by officials from the medical world and other dignitaries. So far, cyber competitions have taken place throughout Israel, with the Israeli Championship held at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv. 100 hackers competed including the Red Team, with cyber experts from industry and teams of other hackers that competed for the title of Israeli Cyber Champion. We are currently organizing the Cyber Championship of the North in Kiryat Shmona with support of the Town Mayor Avichai Stern, and at the competition, competitors who submit unique cyber challenges will win, and the most unique cyber challenge will be demonstrated at the World Cyber Championship in Dubai 2023. As far as I am concerned, presenting a cyber challenge that was written from a student in Kiryat Shmona or in an Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem on an international stage, is far beyond a cyber competition – it is a mission".

"In Israel whether in a central location or in the peripheral, there are smart people that want to deal with cyber. The door is open to everyone", says Amir. "When I am abroad and say I am from Israel most people ask if I am from Tel Aviv – because that is what they know or what they want to understand, but Zionism is also to present to the world that there are other towns in Israel from the far south to the distant north. Every cyber champion from Israel that receives a prize also promotes the town they represent to remind the world that there are many more towns in Israel, not just Tel Aviv".

"Like Israel the world is interested in sharing the cyber problems and solutions worldwide and being that cyber is a very broad field that is present in various categories, the more cyber experts and hackers there are with a different way of thinking and with different methods and methodologies, then we as a global community, will be better prepared for cyber scenarios. That is why the Abraham Accords brought Israel unique opportunities and when, for example, we hold a cyber championship in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, you can see the best hackers not only from the United Arab Emirates, but also cyber experts and hackers from India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, China and other countries that despite Israel not having diplomatic ties with some of these countries, competitors from everywhere in the world still attend, and the championship serves as the cyber Olympics, without politics, and only achievements in cyber skills and that is the discussion at every cyber championship with a clear agenda that civilian cyber is designed for the public without any military or government needs.

This year in Dubai, we will hold the World Cyber Championship in January 2023, where we will award the winner with the largest prize ever awarded so far and will declare who is the best hacker in the world. More than 10,000 people have already registered and submitted their applications for the competition out of our 200,000 members. We will be able to select only the very best from among them including winners of previous competitions that won local championships. There are other championships planned for Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. We will come to share and challenge the best minds in the world wherever there is an opening for peace".

And the participants from Arab countries, do they not have any problem participating in an event organized by an Israeli company?

"This is a platform that does not touch on nationality; everyone cooperates and shows great respect. The interests in the competition are Global and the emphasis is on the Global cyber issue and not that of Israel, Iran, the United Arab Emirates or anywhere else in the world. Attribution to a certain country is not relevant for the purpose of competing at the World Cyber Championship. In the competition we leverage CyTaka's unique platform that includes thousands of cyber challenges and we seat the Iranian hacker alongside the Indian hacker and the Israeli hacker next to the Palestinian hacker from Gaza or Ramallah and all so that eventually there will be positive sharing of information that will protect the citizens of the world, and although it may appear to look strange, this is not new, as, I am certain that in the NASA organization of geniuses, no one cares where you were born or what religion you believe in, but rather how you promote humanity to a better place. Whenever I see a mixed group of nationalities cooperating and creating cyber scenarios and challenges together – I understand that we have progressed somewhat in the mission of making cyber globally-civilian, belonging to civilians and not only to the military and intelligence systems. British, Japanese, Iranian, American etc., citizens will all be at risk if they arrive for medical treatment at a hospital that is under cyber attack or any other scenario. The cyber-attacks are unforeseen, have no moral or ideology besides greed, and, therefore, hackers dealing in cybercrimes are an anonymous enemy causing injury to us all and not any particular nationality".

What additional value do you generate from your competitions?

"Their publicity enables civilians to understand that there is a new community of experts focused on cyber which they will be able to consult with on various cyber issues. A civilian whose computer or smartphone has been hacked is quite helpless, as they do not really have options available to go to government or military organizations. But thanks to the competitions and the subjects we explore, they understand that cyber belongs to the public and that cyber can also resolve personal problems relating to daily life.

"It is encouraging to see the IDF follow my approach and publish that they award up to 200,000 Shekels to cyber experts who remain in the army. There is no doubt that the fighters are the best, but also the Best are in Cyber"

What have you to say about the huge value of cyber companies in the industry?

Amir doesn't talk about exits or complex business models, as far as he is concerned every company that is a Unicorn has to prove and justify it's billion-dollar valuation as soon as possible and progress towards becoming a Centaur (a company with yearly revenues of at least $100 million) and not perform an exit because of its valuation. "We will see more cyber companies that will in the future reach valuations of hundreds of billions of dollars and even a trillion dollars valuation for a cyber company could be realistic with relation to offensive cyber activities which will only increase over time all over the world and will justify the profitability of the cyber companies and of their astronomical value, just like Apple and Google, who have past the trillion-dollar valuation long ago which wasn't so realistic when they started out. Until now we are discussing an international project of positive-cyber education, with the prize monies originating from fund raising and sponsorships designed for this, in addition to the research and development of defense and training products.  It is not simple to be simple, however, that is what it's all about. I am more interested in who will be the World Cyber Champion, an intuitive hacker or an academic hacker".

What do you mean by an intuitive or academic hacker?

We create challenges that involve various scenarios, based on what we have already seen and what may happen. A hacker with good intuition knows better and faster, in some scenarios, how to attack or defend compared to a hacking machine based on artificial intelligence that works methodologically and without intuition, despite the machine having dramatically higher calculative and analytical abilities. In our cyber competitions I also see that the intuitive hacker is more effective and even lethal, but in the field of defense there are systems where knowledge based on an intuitive background is lacking. A system that builds an ultimate defense must also have an academic hacker, who knows science at a top level and is able to analyze at a precise level to get more effectively in-depth compared to the autodidact like a 'wild animal' that lives on the web and whose skills are somewhat different. The union creates completion".

What was the defining moment of your career?

The defining moment is with us always at all times. Sometimes we forget that getting up in the morning is not to be taken for granted. It can be said that the Abraham Accords had a huge positive impact on the venture and that is a gift from the brave leaders that led to the peace agreements with the United Arab Emirates. I, as an Israeli, can only be grateful and leverage this rare opportunity to flourish in an era of peace. Alongside my career trajectory, I have learned one important thing. If you believe in something that will do good for this world, you will never regret it, compared to those that do not act but only dream or complain".

Where is the cyber world at the end of 2022 and what is the forecast for 2023?

"Artificial Intelligence has abducted the crown from the cyber realm, but it does not provide a solution to the shortage of manpower in this field and this is its task for the coming years, alongside improving the cyber abilities over many fields including combatting terror and far-reaching improvements in the business world. I would not go into forecasts for the field of cyber, it is not the climate, there are more options than partially cloudy or rainy, it is obvious that we will see more offensive cyber activity and the damages from cybercrimes will be more violent and will continue to increase the market value of the cyber field, however sooner or later we will need more power in the field globally.

What is your vision for the future?

"The vision is to reach 10 million information security experts, hackers and programmers in our cyber community and to offer whoever has a civilian cyber problem the possibility of receiving an available and speedy professional response. We have a professional community that is mostly voluntary and deals in positive cyber for purposes of protecting and defending civilians from various cyber-attacks and is light years away from the image of a private cyber army or Lord of War

Doron Amir – CEO and founder of CyTaka

Age: 47

Marital status: Married + 2

Residence: Raanana

Previous positions: CEO of cyber companies, Vice President of technologies at international companies.

Hobbies: Scuba diving, sports cars and motorbikes.

Driving motto: When you have to shoot, shoot; don't talk

Personal dream to accomplish: a cyber competition in space with Elon Musk

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