Unit 8200

From Palepedia
Unit 8200

Unit 8200 is a division within the Israeli Intelligence Corps, established in 1952, specializing in collecting signal intelligence (SIGINT), code decryption, and surveillance. It is also known internally as the Central Collection Unit of the Intelligence Corps. It plays a significant role in Israel's intelligence infrastructure, utilizing technological capabilities for electronic intelligence gathering and cyber warfare.

Unit 8200 is the largest unit in the Israel Defense Forces, made up of thousands of soldiers.[1] A close analog to its scope of operations would be the American National Security Agency (NSA), with the important difference that Unit 8200 is a military unit and not subject to civilian oversight.

Role in the IDF[edit | edit source]

Unit 8200 is known for its technological operations, contributing to Israel’s stated security goals through mass surveillance (domestically and internationally) and cyber warfare. The unit also focuses on deciphering encrypted communications, monitoring for digital threats, and enhancing Israel's cyber defense capabilities. It plays a major role in Israel’s offensive cyber warfare strategy, and has been involved in attacks against other countries’ electronic infrastructure as well as being accused of involvement in online attacks against anti-Zionist organizations or individuals.

Under the leadership of Yossi Sariel, who took command in 2021, Unit 8200 underwent significant restructuring, with a greater emphasis on technology and data science.[2] By 2023, approximately 60 percent of the unit's employees were working in engineering and tech roles, a significant increase from previous years.[2] This shift involved cutting Arabic language specialists and disbanding some groups not focused on data-mining technology.[2]

Surveillance[edit | edit source]

According to a 2010 article in the French newspaper Le Monde Diplomatique, Israel operates one of the largest intelligence gathering (surveilling) installations in the world at Urim SIGINT Base the Negeb desert, dedicated to tracking ships and monitoring phone calls, emails, and other communications, throughout the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Unit 8200 also maintains covert listening posts in Israeli embassies abroad, taps undersea cables, maintains covert listening units in the Palestinian territories, and has Gulfstream jets equipped with electronic surveillance equipment.[3]

Unit 8200 collects vast amounts of data from various sources, including intercepted communications, satellite footage, and social media networks.[2] This data is stored in a centralized database known as "the Pool", which was developed in collaboration with Mossad.[2]

Notable Involvements[edit | edit source]

  • It was widely reported — but never officially verified/sourced — that Israel's Unit 8200 was behind the Stuxnet computer virus that was ultimately determined to have been (successfully) targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
  • A 2010 article in The New York Times claimed that Unit 8200 used "a secret kill switch" to deactivate Syrian air defenses during Israel's Operation Orchard.[4]
  • In another article by The New York Times, this one published in 2017, it is claimed that Unit 8200 had hacked Russian security company Kaspersky, and could monitor its activities in real-time.[5]
  • In 2021, a book titled "The Human-Machine Team: How to Create Synergy Between Human and Artificial Intelligence That Will Revolutionize Our World" was published under the pen name "Brigadier General Y.S."[6] The author, later confirmed to be Yossi Sariel, advocated for the development of a machine capable of processing massive amounts of data to generate military targets rapidly.[6]
  • An AI-based system known as Lavender was developed by Unit 8200 and used by Israel in the early months of the 2023 Israel war on Gaza to track and target suspected militants and their families, that was responsible both for identifying potential targets and making the decision to target them "as if it were a human decision," predominantly at night when they were home with their families.[6] The system integrated with WhatsApp activity and cell phone location data (how what WhatsApp activity was collected is not yet known).[6]
  • Another AI system, known as Habsora or "the Gospel," was developed under Sariel's leadership to rapidly generate new targets for airstrikes.[2] Habsora can reportedly generate hundreds of additional targets quickly, using data from the Pool.[2]
  • Unit 8200 was behind the supply chain infiltration, explosive seeding, and subsequent detonation of pagers used by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon on the 17th and 18th of September 2024.[7]

Controversies and Human Rights Concerns[edit | edit source]

Unit 8200 has faced criticism for its various human rights violations. Former members and other IDF refuseniks have raised concerns about privacy violations and the impact of its operations on Palestinians in Israel and in the occupied territories. Documented protocols of mass surveillance and data collection have been decried by various human rights organizations for their role in creating and maintaining an apartheid online and in the real world.

In 2014, 43 former members signed a protest letter against Unit 8200's "abusive gathering of Palestinians' private information".[8][9][10]

The use of AI systems like Lavender and Habsora has raised concerns about the accuracy and ethics of AI-driven targeting.[2] Some former Unit 8200 officers have expressed worries about the quality of intelligence gathered by AI and whether these technologies' recommendations receive sufficient scrutiny.[2] Internal audits have reportedly found inaccuracies in some AI systems used by the unit.[2] Breaking the Silence, an Israeli human rights organization, has cited testimonies from IDF soldiers suggesting that the acceptable number of civilian casualties during the 2023-2024 Gaza war has increased significantly compared to previous conflicts, potentially enabled by automation and AI-driven targeting.[2]

Relationship with Shin Bet[edit | edit source]

Unit 8200 operates alongside Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency. Among its other responsibilities, Unit 8200 is responsible for surveillance and the gathering of SIGINT, which it then passes along to Shin Bet or other IDF units to follow up on.

See also[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Bamahane magazine. IDF Record Book 2010. September 8, 2010. Issue 3052, Page 83.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Dwoskin, Elizabeth (December 29, 2024). "Israel built an 'AI factory' for war. It unleashed it in Gaza". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  3. ↑ 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
  4. ↑ Stuxnet Worm is remarkable for its lack of subtlety, by John Markoff, New York Times 27 September 2010
  5. ↑ How Israel Caught Russian Hackers Scouring the World for U.S. Secrets by Nicole Perlroth and Scott Shane. October 10, 2017
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Abraham, Yuval (April 3, 2024). "'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing spree in Gaza". +972 Magazine. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  7. ↑ Sheera Frenkel; Ronen Bergman; Hwaida Saad (September 18, 2024). "How Israel Built a Modern-Day Trojan Horse: Exploding Pagers". New York Times. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024.
  8. ↑ Bamford, James (September 16, 2014). "Israel's N.S.A. Scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-09-17.
  9. ↑ Williams, Doug (12 Sep 2014). "Wiretaps against Palestinians are wrong, Israeli ex-spies tell Netanyahu". Reuters. Retrieved 12 Sep 2014.
  10. ↑ Beaumont, Peter (12 Sep 2014). "Israeli intelligence veterans refuse to serve in Palestinian territories". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 Oct 2017.
Retrieved from "https://palepedia.org/index.php?title=Unit_8200&oldid=3038"