“Protecting the World: Israeli CyberSecurity Technologies,” a groundbreaking new exhibition, has been launched and showcased at the 2024 Cyber Week conference at Tel Aviv University (TAU), presenting leading Israeli cyber technologies in an original way through the display of ancient historical locks collected from around the world. The exhibition, which runs from June 24 through 26, 2024, is an initiative of the Israel National Cyber Directorate to showcase Israel’s contribution to global defense against cyber-attacks. It aims to educate the Israeli public about cyber security and shows Israel’s defense capabilities in the global cyber arena.

The exhibition features 25 Israeli cyber technologies, each represented by a rare lock — some over 2,000 years old — taken from a unique collection curated by Israeli collector Eran Landau. Each lock has a historical story behind it and serves as a metaphor for the defense mechanism and added value of each technology. The locks differ in design, locking, and unlocking mechanisms, reflecting the culture and history of the era in which they were created. This exhibition offers a unique and first-of-its-kind approach to making the abstract field of cyber security accessible through art.

“The connection between stunning historical sculptural locks from hundreds and thousands of years ago, collected from around the world, and cutting-edge innovative technology vividly illustrates the link between the past and the future,” says Gaby Portnoy, Head of the Israel National Cyber Directorate. “The exhibition provides an excellent opportunity to make the world of cyber security accessible to the general public, showcasing Israel’s significant contribution to advancing and developing the field and protecting the world from digital threats.”

There are plans for the exhibition to travel worldwide to museums and public spaces.

The Israeli cyber technologies featured in the exhibition focus on protecting and maintaining public trust and data integrity, safeguarding critical and industrial infrastructure, financial and private systems, and are currently deployed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide. Among the Israeli-originated companies in the exhibition are Check Point, CyberArk, Cybereason, Deep Instinct, Waterfall, Cato Networks, Authomize, AccuBeat, SIGA, NanoLock, Vicarius, SentinelOne, NSKnox, Disruptive Bytes, Cyberbit, Pentera, Cydome, Cinten, Sepio, Israel Electric Corporation, Rafael, Sygnia, Elta, and BIGID.

The exhibition was photographed by the international photography artist Eitan Vitkon and curated by Doron Polak.