An Israeli Startup Raises $12.5 Million To Help Governments Spy On IoT
With an impressive seed raise of $12.5 million and ex-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak as co-founder, alongside an “all-star” leadership team, Tel Aviv-based Toka Cyber can certainly claim to have nailed the definition of an auspicious beginning. But, as it comes out of stealth Monday, Toka is revealing itself as an atypical force in the digital security sphere, acting as a one-stop hacking shop for intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Whatever spy tool they need, Toka will try to craft it for them. Privacy activists are hoping the company follows through on its promise to operate ethically.
This could in future include hacking tools for devices like Apple iPhones, said Brigadier General Yaron Rosen, former chief of the Israel Defense Forces Cyber Staff, now president at Toka. But Rosen told Forbes that the company is to specialize in spy tools targeting the Internet of Things (IoT), an umbrella term for all connected devices that aren’t your standard computer or smartphone. Devices like Amazon’s Echo or Apple TV are two of the better-known examples of IoT technologies, but connected thermostats, fridges and alarms also fall under the banner of IoT devices, which will number an estimated 35 billion by the end of this year.