“Attackers who know how to exploit AI gain enormous power”

“For me, dealing with cyber is about reducing risk and providing fast, proactive protection. Over the past two years, we’ve seen a 600% increase in state-backed attacks against us - high in both volume and sophistication. These attackers show a lot of cunning, and we’re seeing extensive use of AI and machine learning, as well as impersonation of real people,” said Tsofit Shachar, Chief Information Security Officer at El Al, speaking at the Mind the Tech Berlin 2025 conference organized by Calcalist and Bank Leumi.

Shachar took part in a panel that included Dr. Dorit Dor, founder of Qbeat Ventures and former CTO at Check Point, and Hila Zigman, general partner at the venture capital fund Cyberstarts. The panel was moderated by Fiona Darmon, managing partner at Sunvest Capital Partners.

Hila, as a general partner at one of the world’s leading cyber funds, after hearing Tzofit describe the scale and intensity of attacks, what is shifting in cyber offense and defense? How do you identify the “real winners”?

“AI is a revolution that will change everything, including how we work, but humans are still at the forefront. Now we see machines doing the work. Agents can code and make decisions, but they can also be manipulated and have vulnerabilities, like any software. The biggest risk is that attackers are now using AI agents, completely changing the battlefield.”

Dorit, you are widely seen as one of the first women leaders in the cyber world after more than three decades at Check Point. You’ve seen the industry transform, what has changed, and where are we headed?

“Cyber is evolving due to major technological shifts, not just quantum, but also AI, and the growing influence of wars. Many states are behind commercial thefts, and it’s impossible to separate commercial attacks from state attacks. AI now sits at the core of computing systems and also provides a pathway for infiltration. Attackers who know how to exploit AI gain enormous power. They can use deepfakes that cause billions in damages. The risk today is scale: attacks have increased by millions of percent. We used to deal with low-scale attacks; now we’re seeing attacks on an unprecedented scale.”

Tsofit: “We can shift from reactive to proactive, not only responding but initiating. This is a major change. Attack and defense teams must think like real attackers.”

Hila, where are you investing today?

“When I look at AI companies, I invest in teams like Onyx that know how to integrate AI agents in sophisticated ways, treating them as machines, not humans. Over the past six months, we’ve seen a massive surge in AI agents, and we need tools to monitor them. Another example is Lit.ai, which has a technology that can identify attackers.”

Dorit, you’ve moved into quantum computing. What is happening there?

“The goal is to create tech that will solve problems that are unsolved otherwise. Each new technology brings opportunity, from creating new drugs to improving energy solutions and materials. We’re not going backward; we need to learn how to use this technology responsibly going forward.”

Tsofit: “Rapid recovery and resilience are crucial. It doesn’t matter when the attack happens, because it will. What matters is how quickly you can recover.”

Hila: “Companies need to understand the battlefield is changing. They must adopt solutions that truly work for them in this new environment.”