The Israeli Ministry of Defense heeded the warnings of cybersecurity experts and suspended the tender for the purchase of Chinese BYD Atto 3 electric vehicles for its officers.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense heeded the warnings of cybersecurity experts and suspended the tender for the purchase of Chinese BYD Atto 3 electric vehicles for its officers.
Ynetnews reports that lieutenant colonels in the Israel Defense Forces will no longer drive BYD Atto 3 electric vehicles. After constant pressure from cybersecurity and information security experts, the Defense Ministry has stopped supplying Chinese cars to officers.
In 2022, CnEVPost reported that the BYD Atto 3 was the best-selling car model in Israel, with sales reaching over 2,000 units in November of that year.
Several Chinese MGZS electric vehicles are currently being used to guard the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, and 600 Chinese Chery Tiggo 8 electric vehicles, provided to officers with large families, are already driving around the country. It is noted that such cars are prohibited from entering the territory of high-security military bases.
Chinese cars have already turned off their e-Call systems, which are designed to automatically contact emergency services in the event of an accident, to prevent the car from transmitting data. According to Dr. Harel Menashri, co-founder of the Shin Bet cyber department, this is not enough.
He believes that Chinese cars should be considered «sophisticated intelligence-gathering systems.» Equipped with advanced sensor systems with communication capabilities, they can easily collect a huge amount of visual, audio, and even biometric information about the car’s occupants and its surroundings and transmit it directly to servers in China. This is valuable intelligence about people, objects, and vehicle movements in certain areas.
The administration of former President Joe Biden previously blocked their sale, citing national security concerns. The White House said in a statement that the connected cars could be «controlled or disabled remotely.» Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the cars were «like smartphones on wheels» and posed a serious national security threat.
