Nationwide Educational Campaign on Internet Safety launched at Gitex

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), represented by the National Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT), and the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) launched a nationwide campaign aiming to educate students on cyber security and the risks of improper use of the internet. aeCERT also endorsed the ‘Global CyberLympics’ initiative.

The Global CyberLympics is an annual series of team-based cyber security games, with regional championships across different continents, and conclude with a world finals championship. The Global CyberLympics Middle East Championships will host the most skilled white hat hackers from the region, and the top two teams will represent the region to compete in the world finals championship in 2012. This not-for-profit initiative will create a platform through which information and expertise can be exchanged to support information security sector in the region.

In his opening statement during the press conference, H.E. Majed Almesmar, TRA Deputy Director General said, “Proceeding from our belief in the importance of providing a safe cyber environment for UAE Internet users, we are glad to sponsor and support the Global CyberLympics Middle East Championships held during GITEX Technology Week. We believe that such events will help us uncover new talents and ideas in the field of information security, as well as contribute to raising global awareness on such issues and foster partnerships within information technology field among the nations of the globe.”

“We are pleased to reach this agreement with EC-Council, which has been our best partner since the launch of our nationwide campaign last year. We are confident that this agreement will boost and support our partnership resulting in prosperity and interest for the telecommunications technology industry, as it helps to highlight the threats that users may be exposed to via attacks, and the mechanisms available to protect and defend electronic systems. Our aim is that the end result will be the creation of a safe cyber space for the users, which represents the TRA’s core strategic goals targeting users in the UAE,” H.E. Almesmar added.

This agreement will serve as a key turning point in this partnership between the TRA and the EC Council, as it is the hope and desired outcome that together these two entities will continue to support the UAE community with similar initiatives aimed at protecting society. The betterment of the UAE community and augmentation of the local ICT industry is a key motivation for the TRA’s initiatives in this regard.

H.E. Deputy Director General and Mr. Jay Bavisi, president of EC-Council, both answered questions related to the role of such activities in building capacities, raising awareness, and education on information security, as well as the role they each play in achieving global security through strengthening strong relationships among ICT professionals and experts.

The aeCERT aims to sustain a resilient and vigilant ICT infrastructure against a broad range of cyber security threats by encouraging a safe and secure cyber culture in the UAE. Furthermore, by enhancing cyber security laws and assisting in the creation of new laws, aeCERT is spreading information security awareness across the country. aeCERT also fosters national expertise in information security, incident management, and computer forensics.