Business | Technology

UAE launches computer emergency team

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) on Monday launched the operations of the UAE Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT), an initiative aimed to protect the country's information and communications technology infrastructure.

  • By Himendra Mohan KumarStaff Reporter
  • Published: 00:08 July 15, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: Ravindranath/Gulf News
  • Mohammad Nasser Al Ganem (centre), TRA director-general and board member, with Mohammad Gheyath, executive director of technical development affairs, and Engineer Fatma Bazargan, manager, research and analysis, aeCERT, at the news conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday to announce the official launch of the operations of the UAE Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT).

Abu Dhabi: The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) on Monday y launched the operations of the UAE Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT), an initiative aimed to protect the country's information and communications technology infrastructure.

The seven-member aeCERT offers services towards cyber security. The team will be expanded to 15 by the end of this year.

"We have invested in excess of Dh7 million to develop the technology and framework and the team," Mohammad Nasser Al Ganem, TRA director-general and board member, told the media at the launch.

Fatma A. Bazargan, manager - research and analysis, aeCERT, said any organisation seeking its services needs to send in a request to constituent@aecert.ae

"We will then set up a meeting with them and agree upon a mutual memorandum of understanding. The organisation will also have to sign a non-disclosure agreement with us. After this, our services start. There's no fee. aeCERT is a non-profit organisation," said Bazargan.

"We are looking to have 60 organisations signing up with aeCERT by the end of 2008," Bazargan said.

Bazargan said they have CERT coordination with Malaysia, Netherlands, US, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, adding that this coordination will be extended to other countries in future.

Asked when the iphone will be launched in the UAE, Al Ganem said: "Its purely an agreement between Apple and the (UAE licensed telecom) operators. TRA is not going to interfere in it."

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