Israeli citizens are extremely concerned at the possibility of cyber attacks against the Jewish state, with half of the country's Jewish population prepared to allow the state to monitor their online activity for national security purposes, a new study found.
According to the study conducted by three University of Haifa researchers, Haaretz reported Monday, 53% of respondents would agree to government monitoring of their personal email accounts and social media sites.
Another 37% supported government oversight of social media websites, while 28% agreed that certain websites should be blocked.
Respondents revealed their grave worries over a cyber attack, with 65% fearing such an attack would bring critical damage to Israel's traffic and water systems, while 50% believed a cyber attack could cause the Jewish state's civilian population physical harm.
Close to 85% of respondents said they believed government website and military sites would be the primary targets of any possible cyber attack against Israel.
When asked how the government should respond to a major attack, 87% suggested a counter cyber attack, while 13% argued in favor of a missile attack or airstrikes on the perpetrators.
The study, which surveyed 470 people, coincidentally comes on the heels of Israeli cybersecurity company ClearSky uncovering a massive Iranian cyber attack on the Jewish state.
Attacks were launched against 40 Israeli targets and 500 other targets worldwide, including against reserve generals in the IDF, a security consulting company, and researchers, the firm told Army Radio on Sunday.