Israel shuts down police computers

Israel has banned its police force from connecting to the Internet and from using memory sticks or disks in an effort to curb a cyberattack, officials said. The ban, enacted last week, is meant to prevent a malware program called Benny Gantz-55 -- named after Benny Gantz, Israel's Chief of General Staff -- from infecting the police's computer network, Sky News reported. The program can be used to destroy equipment or spy on Israel's police force. The ban came after police received an "intelligence tip," an official said. Officials have yet to determine whether the virus is a prank or was generated by Iran's cyberwarfare program, which had been rapidly expanded since Tehran's nuclear program was hit by the Stuxnet virus in 2010.