Dubai: Leading security experts from various sectors are meeting in Dubai for the second Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (Gisec) 2014 from Monday to explore ways to tackle the cybercrime issue.
During the two-day conference, leading information security experts like Robert Bigman, former Chief Information Security Officer at the CIA; Mikko Hypponen, Chief Research Officer at F-Secure and Wim Remes, Chairman of the Board of Directors at (ISC)2 will discuss various topics on cyber threats and cybersecurity.
Robert Bigman, former Chief Information Security Officer at the CIA, said that people need to understand that the problem is with their computers. The hackers have revealed that there are still some basic holes in the operating systems that we use, be it Microsoft or open sources like Unix and Linux. they have never been patched.
“The numbers aren’t going down. Now we have smartphones operating systems also. There are more codes out there to exploit and that is what we are seeing,” Bigman said.
“I tell my customers not to buy the very next product. I tell my customers to fix the problems themselves. Basically, what people need to do is to re-engineer their networks by isolating yourself from the internet,” he said.
One of the main topics is on mobile devices security as the increasing number of malware attacks also poses a threat to millions of smartphone users.
The unfettered growth in mobility created an alluring opportunity for cybercriminals with nine per cent of large organisations experienced a security or data breach in smartphones or tablets, according to a 2013 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey.
The widespread use of mobile devices resulted to various cybercrimes such as hacking, phishing scams and internet fraud. Smartphones are usually attacked through malwares, Trojan horse viruses and malicious software such as Loozon and FinFisher.
“Security for mobile devices, applications and content is a paramount concern in a mobility management strategy,” said Ian Evans, Managing Director and Senior Vice President, AirWatch by VMware EMEA.
The event takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). More than 100 exhibitors and 3,000 trade visitors from 51 countries are expected to take part.
According to thePricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) 2014 Global Economic Crime Survey, cybercrime is the second most reported economic crime in the Middle East.
The PwC study suggests that banks are an increasingly desirable target for cyber terrorists and hackers. About 39 per cent of financial sector respondents said they had been victims of cybercrime, compared with only 17 per cent in other industries.
The recent announcement by the US Department of Justice on a high-profile botnet, known as GameOver Zeus, has affected around one million computers worldwide and more than $100 million in fraud.
UAE was the third most affected country with eight per cent after US with 13 per cent and Italy with 12 per cent, according to Symantec.
The event also holds free-to-attend security sessions on vendor-run educational presentations, workshops and demonstrations.
“Allowing corporate-owned or employee-owned devices to access corporate data requires a strong enterprise security strategy to ensure the deployment is secure and corporate information is protected.”
“Threats are getting more sophisticated and advanced targeted attacks such as APTs are now being launched towards financial services firms. In this IT security context, many of them in the region are now rethinking their IT security strategy and replacing their legacy firewalls both to meet the higher throughput requirements and to tackle the growing number and complexity of threats”, said Alain Penel, regional vice-president for Fortinet Middle East.
