Three Countries, One Classroom, and a New Kind of Cyber Defense

“The whole world is dealing with cyberattacks, and the more we join forces, the more successful we are. In cybersecurity today, it’s not enough to be a genius. You need to personally know people you can rely on, both in your own country and in other countries.” — Gilad Shadmon, Director General, Israel’s Ministry for Regional Cooperation

First Cohort Graduates from the Trilateral Cyber Program

Twenty-one young professionals from Greece, Cyprus and Israel have completed the Trilateral Cyber Program, a joint initiative of government bodies from the three countries, with professional training developed and led by CyberproAI Israel. The program concluded in October 2026 with a final week in Israel and a graduation ceremony attended by senior officials from all three countries.

The program brought together Israel’s Ministry for Regional Cooperation, the Ministry of Labor and its HaYozma youth employment initiative, and the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD), along with the National Cybersecurity Authority of Greece and the Digital Security Authority of Cyprus. Participants were chosen from hundreds of applicants and included both students and early-career professionals, such as team members from Greece’s National Cybersecurity Authority and the cybersecurity department of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus.

Eight Months, Three Countries, One Cohort

During eight months, participants completed 300 hours of online training led by CyberproAI Israel. The training covered threat detection and analysis, incident response, and digital forensics. They practiced on the Cympire cyber range, facing realistic attack scenarios, with support from Bina’s AI-first tech education platform.

Alongside the online training, participants met in person three times in Nicosia, Athens, and Israel, working together as one team. The final week in Israel focused on practice, including a Capture the Flag (CTF) simulation on the Cympire platform led by David Kaplan, Cyber Instructor at CyberproAI Israel. They also took part in a hands-on digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) workshop and visited Radware, where CISO Howard Taylor discussed SOC operations, agentic AI security, and application security in the AI era.

A Graduation Ceremony Across Three Countries

The graduation ceremony was attended by Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Gabi Ashkenazi, President of CyberproAI; H.E. Kornelios Korneliou, Ambassador of Cyprus to Israel; Gilad Shadmon, Director General of Israel’s Ministry for Regional Cooperation; Rubi Shemesh, Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Labor; Michail Bletsas, Governor of Greece’s National Cybersecurity Authority; Marios Pieri, Commissioner of Communications of Cyprus; Aviram Atzaba, Executive Director, Strategy & International Cooperation at INCD; and Rhea Tsitsani of the Embassy of Greece in Israel.

“You are going to be the future leaders of your own society and country, and we need the right people in the right places to make the right choices.” — Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Gabi Ashkenazi, President, CyberproAI

Ambassador Korneliou called it “a very moving event,” noting that it strengthens people-to-people contact and underlines the importance of trilateral cooperation.

A Model for Further Cooperation

For the partners, this first cohort is just the beginning.

“This is a unique event, and a first of its kind in terms of this level of cooperation. Today we see the fruits of the work of everyone involved, and I have no doubt it will become the model for more countries and more projects.” — Rubi Shemesh, Director General, Israel’s Ministry of Labor

Governor Bletsas described cybersecurity as “a long chain,” where people are often the weakest link. He said the program aimed to strengthen both skills and teamwork, “because in cybersecurity these days there are no borders.” Aviram Atzaba from INCD called the course “a very successful pilot” and a model that could be used in other countries.

For the participants, the value was in the practice. Marina Adamou Tzani, of the CTI department at Greece’s National Cybersecurity Authority, put it this way: “It’s a different thing what we learn in university, and something completely different when you are participating in a hands-on program where you see real cybersecurity threats.”

For CyberproAI, this program shows its main goal: building cyber and AI workforce skills through hands-on training, in partnership with governments and national cyber authorities. Congratulations to all 21 graduates!