View source for Unit 8200

{{Short description|Intelligence unit of the Israel Defense Forces}}
{{Redirect|ISNU|Illinois State Normal University|Illinois State University}}
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{{Expand Hebrew|topic=mil|יחידה 8200|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = Unit 8200
| image                         = 8200 unit logo.svg
| image_size                    = 150px
| native_name                   = {{Script/Hebrew|יחידה 8200}}
| start_date                    = 1952
| country                       = {{flag|Israel}}
| allegiance                    = {{armed forces|Israel}}
| branch                        = {{flagcountry|IDF Military Intelligence Directorate}}
| type                          = Military intelligence unit
| role                          = [[Clandestine operation]]s<br>Collecting signal intelligence and code decryption<br>[[Counterintelligence]]<br>[[Cyberwarfare]]<br>[[HUMINT]]<br>[[Intelligence assessment]]<br>[[Military intelligence]]<br>[[Strategic intelligence]]<br>[[Surveillance]]
| size                          = Classified
| command_structure             = 
| motto                         = 
| decorations                   = [[Chief of Staff Medal of Appreciation]] (2)
| battle_honours                = 
| commander1                    = [[Brigadier General]] [[Yossi Sariel]]<ref name=":0" />
| commander2                    = Anonymous officer<ref name=":1" />
| commander2_label              = Current deputy commander
}}

'''Unit 8200''' ({{langx|he|יחידה 8200}}, ''Yehida shmone matayim'' "Unit eight two-hundred") is an [[Israeli Intelligence Corps]] unit of the [[Israel Defense Forces]] responsible for clandestine operation, collecting [[signal intelligence]] (SIGINT) and code decryption, [[counterintelligence]], [[cyberwarfare]], [[military intelligence]], and surveillance. Military publications include references to Unit 8200 as the '''Central Collection Unit of the Intelligence Corps''', and it is sometimes referred to as '''Israeli SIGINT National Unit''' ('''ISNU''').<ref>{{cite news|script-title=he:חשיפה: ארה"ב העבירה ל-8200 מידע סודי|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4428647,00.html|newspaper=[[Ynet]]|access-date=11 September 2013|language=he|date=11 September 2013|last1=בן-חורין|first1=יצחק}}</ref> It is subordinate to [[Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel)|Aman]], the military intelligence directorate.

The unit is composed primarily of 18–21 year olds. As a result of the youth of the soldiers in the unit, and the shortness of their service period, the unit relies on selecting recruits with the ability for rapid adaptation and speedy learning.<ref name="auto4">[http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-8200-graduates-are-not-like-23-year-olds-in-texas-or-norway-1001191294 "8200 graduates aren't like 23 year-olds in Texas or Norway"] 5 Jun, 2017, Tali Tsipori</ref> Afterschool programs for 16–18 year olds, teaching computer coding and hacking skills, also serve as feeder programs for the unit.<ref name="auto3">[https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbehar/2016/05/11/inside-israels-secret-startup-machine/#58ed1c501a51 Inside Israel's Secret Startup Machine] Richard Behar , CONTRIBUTOR, MAY 11, 2016</ref> Former Unit 8200 soldiers have, after completing their military service, gone on to founding and occupying top positions in many international IT companies and in [[Silicon Valley]].<ref name="auto3"/><ref name="auto1">[https://techcrunch.com/2015/03/20/from-the-8200-to-silicon-valley From The Israeli Army Unit 8200 To Silicon Valley] Posted Mar 20, 2015 by Idan Tendler</ref>

According to the Director of Military Sciences at the [[Royal United Services Institute]], "Unit 8200 is probably the foremost technical intelligence agency in the world and stands on a par with the [[National Security Agency|NSA]] in everything except scale."<ref>[https://www.ft.com/content/69f150da-25b8-11e5-bd83-71cb60e8f08c Unit 8200: Israel's cyber spy agency, Former insiders and whistle-blowers provide a view of the formidable military intelligence outfit] JULY 10, 2015 by John Reed, Financial Times</ref>

==Overview==
Unit 8200 is the largest unit in the [[Israel Defense Forces]], comprising several thousand soldiers.<ref name="bamahane">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Bamahane]]|date=September 8, 2010|issue= 3052|title=IDF Record Book 2010|page=83|language=he}}</ref> It is comparable in its function to the [[United States]]' [[National Security Agency]] and is a [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)|Ministry of Defense]] body just as the NSA is part of the [[United States Department of Defense]].

Subordinate to Unit 8200 is Unit Hatzav (Hebrew name for [[Drimia]] ({{Langx|he|יחידת חצב}})), responsible for collecting [[Open source intelligence|OSINT]] [[intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence]]. The unit monitors and collects [[military intelligence]]–related information from [[television]], [[radio]], [[newspaper]]s, and the [[internet]]. The translation of various items accounts for part of what is termed "basic intelligence", which is collected by the units.

The IDF's most important signal intelligence–gathering installation is the [[Urim SIGINT Base]], a part of Unit 8200. Urim is located in the Negev desert approximately 30&nbsp;km from Beersheba.<ref name=mondediplo>[[Le Monde Diplomatique]], 2010 September, "Israel’s Omniscient Ears: Israel’s Urim Base in the Negev Desert is among the most important and powerful intelligence gathering sites in the world. Yet, until now, its eavesdropping has gone entirely unmentioned". http://mondediplo.com/2010/09/04israelbase</ref> In March 2004, the Commission to investigate the intelligence network following the War in Iraq [[Israeli Intelligence Community#Reforms to the structure of the IIC|recommended]] turning the unit into a civilian national SIGINT agency, as is in other Western countries, but this proposal was not implemented.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}

=== Staff ===
Unit 8200 is staffed primarily by 18–21 year old conscripts. Selection and recruitment to the unit usually occurs at age 18 through the IDF screening process after high school. The unit also scouts potential younger recruits through after-school computer classes.<ref name="auto3"/>  These after-school computer classes, teaching 16–18 year olds computer coding and hacking skills, sometimes act as feeder programs for the unit, with students receiving invitation letters from the IDF.<ref name="auto3"/> 

The 18-year-olds selected for the unit are primarily chosen for their ability to teach themselves and to learn very quickly as the unit will only have access to their services for a short time before their military service period ends.<ref name="auto4"/> 

Soldiers are not permitted to publicly disclose that they are part of the unit, or their role within it.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Degani |first=Corin |date=2021-11-18 |title=An elite Israeli intelligence unit's soldiers are sworn to secrecy – but tell all on LinkedIn |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/tech-news/2021-11-18/ty-article/.premium/an-israeli-intell-units-soldiers-are-sworn-to-secrecy-but-tell-all-on-linkedin/0000017f-e0e5-d568-ad7f-f3ef63350000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106025053/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/tech-news/2021-11-18/ty-article/.premium/an-israeli-intell-units-soldiers-are-sworn-to-secrecy-but-tell-all-on-linkedin/0000017f-e0e5-d568-ad7f-f3ef63350000 |archive-date=2022-11-06 |access-date=2024-04-05 |work=Haaretz |language=en }}</ref>

=== Command structure ===
[[File:IDF 8200 change of command ceremony, 2021.png|thumb|Brigadier General "Y" (later revealed to be [[Yossi Sariel]]) at the unit's [[change of command]] ceremony in February 2021]]
Unit 8200 is led by a commander and a deputy commander, the latter holding the rank of [[colonel]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shoval |first=Lilach |date=July 20, 2021 |title=Top IDF intelligence unit gets its first female deputy commander |url=https://www.jns.org/idfs-top-intelligence-unit-gets-its-first-female-deputy-commander/ |website=[[Jewish News Syndicate]] |quote=Lt. Col. G., who will be promoted to full colonel for her new position,}}</ref> The identities of both officers are kept secret.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-06-30 |title=Deputy Commander of Elite Intelligence Unit 8200 Reveals Its Secret Weapon |url=https://forbes.co.il/e/deputy-commander-of-elite-intelligence-unit-8200-reveals-its-secret-weapon/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=[[Forbes Israel]] |language=en-US}}</ref> An additional command role is that of the "Data Science and AI Commander".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bob |first=Yonah Jeremy |date=2023-02-13 |title=IDF Unit 8200 commander reveals cyber use to target Hamas commander |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-731443 |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en}}</ref>

==== Known commanders ====
* Brigadier General Yoel Ben-Porat (1970s)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rabinovich |first=Abraham |date=15 September 2021 |title=Worse than the worst-case scenario: The dreadful hours before the Yom Kippur War |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/worse-than-the-worst-case-scenario-the-dreadful-hours-before-the-yom-kippur-war/ |website=The Times of Israel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bar-Joseph |first=Uri |author-link=Uri Bar-Joseph |date=2012 |editor-last=Mass |editor-first=Zvi Zamir and Efrat |editor2-last=Shalev |editor2-first=Arieh |editor3-last=Zeira |editor3-first=Eli |editor4-last=Ben-Porat |editor4-first=Yoel |editor5-last=Commission |editor5-first=Agranat |title=Confronting the Intelligence Fiasco of the Yom Kippur War |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/18785328-00032003 |journal=Bustan: The Middle East Book Review |location=Tel Aviv |publisher=[[Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies]] |volume=3 |issue=2 |page=133 |doi=10.1163/18785328-00032003 |jstor=10.1163/18785328-00032003 |issn=1878-5301 |quote=the head of AMAN’s signal intelligence [SIGINT], Brigadier General Yoel Ben-Porat,|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* Reuven Yeredor (1980s)<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Oren |first=Amir |date=2013-04-12 |title=Yom Kippur War as a case study: Intelligence and deterrence did not suffice |url=https://www.haaretz.com/2013-04-12/ty-article/.premium/when-israeli-intel-deterrence-werent-enough/0000017f-db7b-db22-a17f-fffb4ce10000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925145415/https://www.haaretz.com/2013-04-12/ty-article/.premium/when-israeli-intel-deterrence-werent-enough/0000017f-db7b-db22-a17f-fffb4ce10000 |archive-date=2022-09-25 |access-date=2024-04-05 |work=Haaretz |language=en }}</ref>
* Lior Div (unknown period)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rouhandeh |first=Alex J. |date=2021-06-29 |title=Cybersecurity Firms Take the Offensive While Avoiding 'All-Out War' |url=https://www.newsweek.com/cybersecurity-firms-take-offensive-while-avoiding-all-out-war-1604986 |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=[[Newsweek]] |language=en |quote=Lior Div served as a Commander in the Israeli Defense Force's Unit 8200, which focuses on signal interception intelligence and code decryption.}}</ref>
* [[Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash]] (unknown period)<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 4, 2012 |title=Unit 8200 and Israel&#039;s high-tech whiz kids |url=https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2012/06/04/Unit-8200-and-Israels-high-tech-whiz-kids/43661338833765/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=[[United Press International]] |language=en |quote=Aharon Zeevi Farkash, another former commander of Unit 8200, is the founder and chief executive of FST21 set up in 2007.}}</ref>
* Brigadier General Nadav Zafrir (unknown period)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zilber |first=Neri |date=Sep 1, 2018 |title=The Rise of the Cyber-Mercenaries |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/rise-cyber-mercenaries |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=[[The Washington Institute for Near East Policy]] |language=en |quote=Nadav Zafrir, a retired brigadier general and former commander of Unit 8200,}}</ref>
* Brigadier General Yair Cohen (2001 {{--}} 2005)<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=Feb 8, 2007 |title=The Unit |url=https://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/israel-military-unit-ventures-biz-cx_gk_0208israel.html |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=Forbes |language=en |quote=Retired Brig. Gen. Hanan Gefen, a former commander of Unit 8200 and current consultant to high-tech companies, [...] retired Brig. Gen. Yair Cohen, the previous Unit commander and current vice president of Elron,}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cordey |first=Sean |date=December 2019 |editor-last=Prior |editor-first=Tim |editor2-last=Cavelty |editor2-first=Myriam Dunn |editor3-last=Wenger |editor3-first=Andreas |title=The Israeli Unit 8200: An OSINT-based Study |url=https://css.ethz.ch/en/services/digital-library/publications/publication.html/2beaf2b8-3d47-4be9-8553-18e7a8ce7c8e |journal=CSS Risk and Resilience Reports |location=Zurich, Switzerland |publisher=[[Center for Security Studies]] |pages=8 |quote=Yair Cohen, who served 33 years in Unit 8200, the last five (2001–05) as its commander,}}</ref>
* Brigadier General Hanan Gefen (succeeding Cohen)<ref name=":2" />
* Brigadier General "A" (anonymous, mid-2010s)<ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=2015-01-27 |title=Israel expels 43 intelligence veterans who refused to spy in Palestinian territories |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/27/israel-expels-intelligence-veterans-who-refused-spy-occupied-palestinians |access-date=2024-04-05 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |quote=The commander of Unit 8200, named as Brigadier-General “A”,}}</ref>
* Brigadier General Asaf Kochan (unknown period)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Bruce |date=Mar 1, 2023 |title=Former Israeli Intelligence Officers Found Sentra To Provide Cloud Security |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucerogers/2023/03/01/former-israeli-intelligence-officers-found-sentra-to-provide-cloud-security/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=Forbes |language=en |quote={{as written|I|t’s [sic]}} founders include Asaf Kochan, Co-Founder, President and former commander of unit 8200;}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 15, 2023 |title=50 Influential Jews: Asaf Kochan - No. 38 |url=https://www.jpost.com/influencers/50jews-23/article-758808 |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en}}</ref>
* Brigadier General [[Yossi Sariel]] (February 2021 {{--}} present)<ref name="ToI240912"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Harel |first=Amos |author-link=Amos Harel |date=2021-10-01 |title=Top Israeli intel officer goes where no one's gone before. And you can find it on Amazon |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-10-01/ty-article/.highlight/top-israeli-intel-officer-goes-where-no-ones-gone-before-and-its-all-on-amazon/0000017f-e1fb-df7c-a5ff-e3fb21210000 |access-date=2024-04-05 |work=Haaretz |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

=== Activities ===
[[File:Israel Memorandum of Understanding SIGINT.pdf|thumb|upright|On 11 September 2013, ''[[The Guardian]]'' released a leaked document provided by [[Edward Snowden]] which reveals how Unit 8200, referred to as ISNU, receives raw, unfiltered data of U.S. citizens, as part of a secret agreement with the U.S. [[National Security Agency]]<ref name="israelnsa1">{{cite news|title=NSA shares raw intelligence including Americans' data with Israel|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/11/nsa-americans-personal-data-israel-documents|access-date=September 14, 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=September 11, 2013|author=Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Ewen MacAskill}}</ref>]]

According to Peter Roberts, the Director of Military Sciences at the [[Royal United Services Institute]], "Unit 8200 is probably the foremost technical intelligence agency in the world and stands on a par with the [[National Security Agency|NSA]] in everything except scale. They are highly focused on what they look at — certainly more focused than the NSA — and they conduct their operations with a degree of tenacity and passion that you don't experience elsewhere."<ref>[https://www.ft.com/content/69f150da-25b8-11e5-bd83-71cb60e8f08c Unit 8200: Israel’s cyber spy agency, Former insiders and whistle-blowers provide a view of the formidable military intelligence outfit] JULY 10, 2015 by John Reed, Financial Times</ref>

In 2010, the French newspaper ''[[Le Monde diplomatique]]'' wrote that Unit 8200 operates a [[Urim SIGINT Base|large SIGINT base]] in the [[Negev]], one of the largest listening bases in the world, capable of monitoring phone calls, emails, and other communications, throughout the [[Middle East]], [[Europe]], [[Asia]], and [[Africa]], as well as tracking ships. Unit 8200 also reportedly maintains covert listening posts in Israeli embassies abroad, taps undersea cables, maintains covert listening units in the [[Palestinian territories]], and has [[Gulfstream Aerospace|Gulfstream]] jets equipped with electronic surveillance equipment.<ref name=mondediplo />

=== Duqu ===
[[Duqu]] is a collection of computer malware discovered on 1 September 2011. Non-Israeli sources routinely state it to be the creation of Unit 8200.<ref>[https://medium.com/@jeffreycarr/nsa-unit-8200-and-malware-proliferation-dd6e075ce26e NSA, Unit 8200, and Malware Proliferation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025075216/https://medium.com/@jeffreycarr/nsa-unit-8200-and-malware-proliferation-dd6e075ce26e |date=2017-10-25 }} Jeffrey Carr, Principal consultant at 20KLeague.com; Founder of Suits and Spooks; Author of “Inside Cyber Warfare (O’Reilly Media, 2009, 2011), Medium.com, Aug 25, 2016</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cornish |first=Paul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p6pJEAAAQBAJ&dq=Duqu+8200+israeli&pg=PA634 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Cyber Security |date=2021-11-04 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-252101-9 |language=en |quote= Foreign sources routinely assert that Unit 8200 contribured to Stuxnet, Flame, Duqu and other sophisticated cyber campaigns.}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Base of Unit 8200 in Sinai 1.jpg|thumb|A Unit 8200 base in the [[Sinai Peninsula]], during the [[Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula|Israeli occupation]]]]
Unit 8200 was established in 1952 using primitive surplus American military equipment. Originally, it was called the 2nd Intelligence Service Unit and then the 515th Intelligence Service Unit. In 1954, the unit moved from [[Jaffa]] to its current base at the Glilot junction.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/2008n/09/0101.htm | title = Unit 8200: In the Beginning | author = Amir Kidon | publisher = Israel Defense Forces | date = 1 September 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090206103120/http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/2008n/09/0101.htm | archive-date = 6 February 2009 }}</ref>

[[Ronen Bergman]] says in a 2009 book that a [[Hezbollah]] bomb, disguised as a [[cell phone]], was picked up by agents, and taken for investigation to Unit 8200's headquarters in February 1999. Basic safety protocols were neglected. The device never underwent the necessary x-ray procedures meant to ensure it was explosives-free. Inside the laboratory the cell phone exploded. Two Unit 8200 soldiers were severely injured, one losing a hand.<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3776131,00.html "Hezbollah got inside MI's inner sanctum"], Ynet.com, 13 September 2009.</ref>

In 2010, ''[[The New York Times]]'' cited "a former member of the United States intelligence community" alleging that this unit used a secret kill switch to deactivate Syrian air defenses during [[Operation Orchard]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/technology/27virus.html?_r=1 Stuxnet Worm is remarkable for its lack of subtlety], by John Markoff, [[New York Times]] 27 September 2010</ref>

In 2014, 43 veterans of Unit 8200 signed a protest letter decrying what they called the electronic surveillance unit's abusive gathering of Palestinians' private information.<ref>{{cite news   | last = Bamfordset   | first = James   | title = Israel's N.S.A. Scandal   | newspaper = The New York Times   | date = September 16, 2014   | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/opinion/israels-nsa-scandal.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0   | access-date = 2014-09-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Williams|first=Doug|date=12 Sep 2014|title=Wiretaps against Palestinians are wrong, Israeli ex-spies tell Netanyahu|url=https://news.yahoo.com/wiretaps-against-palestinians-wrong-israeli-ex-spies-tell-073629377.html|newspaper=[[Reuters]]|access-date=12 Sep 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Beaumont|first=Peter |date=12 Sep 2014|title=Israeli intelligence veterans refuse to serve in Palestinian territories|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/12/israeli-intelligence-reservists-refuse-serve-palestinian-territories|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=10 Oct 2017}}</ref> In response, 200 other reservists signed a counter-protest letter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185051|title=Counter-Letter Published Against Leftist Soldiers - Inside Israel|website=Israel National News|date=12 September 2014 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570559,00.html Netanyahu backs intel unit, as Ya'alon slams intel officers' letter] Ynet, 13 Sept 2014</ref><ref>[http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-spox-condemns-objectors-assures-sharp-punishment/ IDF condemns objectors, promises ‘sharp’ punishment] Times of Israel, 14 Sept 2014</ref>

According to a 2017 ''The New York Times'' article, the Unit 8200's hack of [[Kaspersky Lab]] allowed them to watch in real time as Russian government hackers searched computers around the world for American intelligence programs.<ref name="auto2">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/technology/kaspersky-lab-israel-russia-hacking.html |title=How Israel Caught Russian Hackers Scouring the World for U.S. Secrets |last1=Perlroth |first1=Nicole |last2=Shane |first2=Scott |date=October 10, 2017 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 16, 2023}}</ref> Israelis who had hacked into Kaspersky’s own network alerted the United States to the broad Russian intrusion of US systems.<ref name="auto2"/>

=== 2023 Hamas attack ===
In the failure to forecast the [[2023 Hamas attack on Israel]] by Israel's intelligence agencies, Unit 8200 was blamed for having underestimated Hamas activities.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israeli-military-stopped-listening-to-hamas-handheld-radios-a-year-ago-nyt/ Israeli military stopped listening to Hamas handheld radios a year ago], timesofisrael.com. Accessed 29 January 2024.</ref> Unit 8200 is alleged to have stopped listening to Hamas's [[Mobile device|handheld radios]] in 2022, deciding it was a "waste of effort". Monitoring that radio network might have helped the [[Shin Bet]] realize a few hours before the attack that the unusual activity they were seeing on the Gaza border was not just another military exercise by Hamas, [[The Times of Israel|Times of Israel]] noted.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Isaac |first=David |date=30 October 2023 |title=IDF stopped monitoring Hamas handheld radios, among other intel failures |url=https://www.jns.org/idf-stopped-monitoring-hamas-handheld-radios-among-other-intel-failures/ |access-date=8 November 2023 |website=JNS.org |language=en-US}}</ref> The ''[[New York Times]]'' reported in November that a veteran analyst in Unit 8200 had warned in July that Hamas were preparing for a cross-border attack and that the analyst's concerns were dismissed by senior military leadership as "totally imaginative".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bergman |first1=Ronen |last2=Goldman |first2=Adam |title=Israel Knew Hamas's Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-attack-intelligence.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=3 January 2024 |date=1 December 2023}}</ref>

The "Spotters", known as '''''tatzpitaniyot''''', are female members of the IDF who observe the barriers along the border and activate complex technological systems to prevent the enemy from penetrating into Israel. Their responsibilities have been described as a "difficult, cognitively and emotionally demanding job that entails hours of closely monitoring surveillance cameras, with the knowledge that missing even the slightest unusual event along the border could have disastrous effects on the entire country" but "[t]hey didn’t miss Hamas' preparations for the October 7 attack"; one was quoted as saying, "We were all seeing Hamas militants training for exactly what happened: We saw them training to crash the fence, training to kill civilians, training to take back hostages" and another stated "We knew this would happen. We warned the higher ups. But they ignored us. They told us that they know better, even though this is our job—we have to know every tree, every tent, every pothole in our section, and especially to know when something unusual is happening. And we do."<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/the-women-soldiers-who-warned-of-a-pending-hamas-attack-and-were-ignored/0000018b-ed76-d4f0-affb-eff740150000 The Women Soldiers Who Warned of a Pending Hamas Attack and Were Ignored], haaretz.com. Accessed 29 January 2024.</ref><ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-israeli-women-the-idf-war-rooms-glass-ceiling-is-constantly-reinforced/ For Israeli Women the IDF War Room's Glass Ceiling is Constantly Reinforced], timesofisrael.com. Accessed 29 January 2024.</ref><ref>[https://momentmag.com/idf-spotters-the-men-ignored-us-and-we-all-paid-dearly/ IDF Spotters: The Men Ignored US and We All Paid Dearly], momentmag.com. Accessed 29 January 2024.</ref> Only two of the ''tatzpitaniyot'' on duty on 7 October 2023 evaded death or abduction.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/surveillance-soldiers-warned-of-hamas-activity-on-gaza-border-for-months-before-oct-7/ Surveillance soldiers warned of Hamas activity on Gaza border for months before October 7], timesofisrael.com. Accessed 3 February 2024.</ref>

In March 2024, ''The New York Times'' reported that [[Corsight]] and [[Google Photos]] were being used in a facial recognition program by Unit 8200 to surveil [[Palestinians]] in [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] amid the [[Gaza war]]. Intelligence officers told the ''Times'' that the unit uploads databases of known faces to the service and uses its search functions to identify individuals. A [[Google]] spokesman commented that the service is free and "does not provide identities for unknown people in photographs." Corsight, a private Israeli company, declined to comment, although its president had recently written on LinkedIn that its technology could identify faces from "extreme angles, (even from drones,) darkness, poor quality."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Frenkel |first=Sheera |date=2024-03-27 |title=Israel Deploys Expansive Facial Recognition Program in Gaza |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/27/technology/israel-facial-recognition-gaza.html |access-date=2024-03-27 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

In April 2024, ''[[The Guardian]]'' claimed that [[Brigadier general|Brigadier General]] [[Yossi Sariel]] (a former head of intelligence for the IDF's [[Central Command (Israel)|Central Command]]) was leading Unit 8200. The identity of the unit's commander is kept secret, but ''The Guardian'' "easily" connected an anonymous email account included with electronic copies of a book published under the pseudonym YS to his name.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last1=Davies |first1=Harry |last2=McKernan |first2=Bethan |date=2024-04-05 |title=Top Israeli spy chief exposes his true identity in online security lapse |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/05/top-israeli-spy-chief-exposes-his-true-identity-in-online-security-lapse |access-date=2024-04-05 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Before 7 October, the organisation had been restructured under Sariel and other leaders with an emphasis on engineers and the closure of groups not focused on data-mining technology.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dwoskin |first=Elizabeth |date=December 29, 2024 |title=Israel built an ‘AI factory’ for war. It unleashed it in Gaza |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/12/29/ai-israel-war-gaza-idf/ |work=The Washington Post}}</ref> Sariel resigned command of Unit 8200 in September 2024.<ref name="ToI240912">{{cite news|newspaper=Times of Israel|title='I did not fulfill my mission': Commander of IDF's 8200 intelligence unit resigns|first=Emanuel |last=Fabia|date=September 12, 2024|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/i-did-not-fulfill-my-mission-commander-of-idfs-8200-intelligence-unit-resigns/}}</ref>

== Companies founded by alumni ==
Former soldiers of Unit 8200 have gone on to found many high-tech companies, among them:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/israel-military-unit-ventures-biz-cx_gk_0208israel.html|title=The Unit|website=Forbes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.geektime.com/2015/05/31/beyond-israeli-army-unit-8200-thats-not-what-startup-nation-is-all-about/|title=Beyond Israeli Army Unit 8200 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517100500/https://www.geektime.com/2015/05/31/beyond-israeli-army-unit-8200-thats-not-what-startup-nation-is-all-about/ |archive-date=17 May 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/><ref name="12 Israelis">{{Cite web|last=Leichman|first=Abigail Klein|date=2017-10-15|title=12 Israelis making a mark on Boston's tech scene|url=http://www.israel21c.org/12-israelis-making-a-mark-on-bostons-tech-scene/|access-date=2020-06-26|website=Israel21c|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |script-title=he:הישראלי שמכר שלושה סטארט־אפים ביותר ממיליארד דולר מסתער על חברה חדשה - ומגשים חלום |trans-title=The Israeli who sold three startups for more than a billion dollars attacks a new company - and fulfills a dream |language=Hebrew |work=[[TheMarker]] |date=25 April 2019 |url=https://www.themarker.com/technation/.premium-MAGAZINE-1.7163682 |access-date=2020-06-26 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Adallom]]
* [[AlphiMAX]]
* [[Altnext]]
* [[Argus Cyber Security]]
* [[Armis]]
* [[Astrix Security]]
* [[AudioCodes]]
* [[Axis Security]]
* [[Bizo]]
* [[Bzigo]]<ref name="Wolman 2019">{{cite news | last=Wolman | first=Yisrael | title=The 'Iron Dome' for mosquitoes | website=Ynetnews | date=2019-06-07 | url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5520371,00.html | access-date=2022-08-22}}</ref>
* [[CardScan]]
* [[Check Point]]
* [[Claroty]]
* [[CloudEndure]]
* [[Cloudinary]]
* [[CommScope]]
* [[Crosswise]]
* [[CTERA Networks]]
* [[CTS Labs]]
* [[CyberArk]]
* Cyberbit
* [[Cybereason]]<ref name="12 Israelis"/>
* [[CyCognito]]
* [[Cypago]] 
* [[Dig Security]]
* [[Explorium]]
* [[Entitle]]
* [[EZchip]]
* [[Fireblocks]]
* [[Forter]]
* [[FST Biometrics]]
* [[Global Infectious Disease Epidemiology Network|GIDEON]]
* [[Gilat Satellite Networks|Gilat]]
* [[Hub Cyber Security]]
* [[Hunters.Ai]]
* [[Hyperwise Security]]
* [[ICQ]]
* [[IL Ventures]]
* [[Imperva]]
* [[Indeni (company)|Indeni]]
* [[Infinidat]]
* [[Infinipoint]]
* [[IntSights]]
* [[IVIX]]
* [[Lacoon Mobile Security]]
* [[Leadspace]]
* [[LEVL Technologies]]
* [[noname Security]]
* [[Namogoo]]
* [[NICE Systems|NICE]]
* [[NSO Group]]
* [[Onavo]]
* [[Opster]]
* [[OverOps]]
* [[Palo Alto Networks]]
* [[PerimeterX]]
* [[PrimeSense]]
* [[Radware]]
* [[Rosh Intelligent Systems]]
* [[Salt Security]]
* [[Secdo]]
* [[Silverfort]]
* [[Solaredge]] 
* [[Viber]]
* [[Votiro]]
* [[Verint]] (spin-off from Comverse)
* [[Waze]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=A CLEAR CAPSTONE STRATEGY: IN CONVERSATION WITH URI LEVINE|url=https://wingmanthinks.com/blog/2020/3/29/a-clear-capstone-strategy-in-conversation-with-uri-levine|access-date=2020-08-20|website=Wingman|language=en-US}}</ref>
* [https://wing.security/ Wing Security]
* [[Wix.com|Wix]]
* [[Wiz (company)|Wiz]]
* [[XenSource]]
* [[IBM XIV Storage System|XIV]]
* [[Yonatan Labs]]
* [[ZoomInfo]]
{{div col end}}

== See also ==
* [[List of cyber warfare forces]]
* [[Havatzalot Program]] – [[Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel)|Military Intelligence Directorate]] training program
* [[C4I Corps|IDF C4I Corps]]
* [[Center for Consciousness Operations|IDF Center for Consciousness Operations]]
* [[Information Security Department|IDF Information Security Department]]
* [[Mamram]]
* [[Computer Service Directorate|IDF Computer Service Directorate]]
* [[Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel)]]
* [[Talpiot program]]
* [[Unit 81]]
* [[Technion]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/05/11/Enter-Unit-8200-Israel-arms-for-cyberwar/UPI-93881305142086 Enter Unit 8200: Israel arms for cyberwar], [[UPI]], 11 May 2011
* [http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/69f150da-25b8-11e5-bd83-71cb60e8f08c.html Unit 8200: Israel's cyber spy agency], 10 July 2015
* [https://www.idf.il/%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%99%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%90%D7%92%D7%A3-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%9F/%D7%9B%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9B%D7%9C%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%90%D7%95%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA-8200/ Unit 8200] IDF.il

{{National Intelligence Agencies}}

[[Category:Unit 8200]]