Kuwait hosts cyber security conference

The Arabian Conference on Information and Communications Security (ACICS) was launched yesterday at the Al-Raya Ballroom under the auspices of the Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah. The two-day conference is due to include exhibitions presented by the participating institutions. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, Minister of Information and Communication and Chairman of the Central Agency for Information Technology Salem Al-Othaina announced, "This conference is being held at the time when information and communications security has changed from a technical issue of IT to a national security issue that is addressed with the greatest importance by political leaders.

The United States and European Union have established special departments for information and commun ications security and for countering electronic crimes and terror. Many states envisage having such departments in the future. Offering further details on the Kuwaiti government's plans to guard against electronic crimes, Al-Othaini added, "In Kuwait, the Central Agency for Information Technology, in cooperation with the relevant state institutions, is chiefly responsible for information and communications security systems.

We at the government are looking forward to having this conference increase the capabilities of the Central Agency for Information Technology. The ACICS conference is being held amid the Kuwaiti government's efforts to streamline government services and organization - in effect, to create an e-government that will bring government departments into the 21 Century. Speaking on the subject, Al-Othaini added that, "Modern technology is our way to modern lifestyle in all administrative, educational, health, and economic fields.

We hope that this conference will highlight the necessary steps needed to attain information security from legal, technical a dministrative aspects. CAIT is responsible for the e-government in Kuwait and pursuant to this responsibility it monitors advances made among hackers and perpetrators of other e-crimes.

Director General of CAIT Abdullatif Al-Suraie explained that, "We are making such advances by, for example, drafting the Electronic Dealing Law, which has since been submitted to Parliament to approved. Another important project is executing the Kuwait Information Net, which connects 50 public institutions through one net of fiber optics with the highest level of security and privacy as it uses the modern coding systems and firewalls.

This net offers security and safety for all public institutions dealing in it." Al-Othaina added that, "We at the Ministry of Communications best understand the value and dangers as well as requisite privacy associated with using the networks for information exchange, work, trading and production. In the end we realize that protecting information equals protecting our community and country both today and into the future.

Al-Suraie remarked on the timeliness of the conference, explaining that electronic security and crimes are important and evolving issues globally. "Information and communication technology is the main arena in which to plan, develop and execute economic, social, educational and health plans for rapidly expanding communities today," he explained, noting that, "failure of or damage to these technologies may have unpredictable results.

Al-Suraie also touched the threats inherent in technological advances, explaining, "The technology itself helps develop the techniques of attacking, and this attracts the electronic criminals. Reports issued by specialized international companies in this field show that the electronic pirating has increased this year." In a rapidly-developing technological world, Kuwait is hoping that the ACICS conference will provide experts with a space to exchange ideas and expertise and, in doing so, contribute to grea ter cyber security.

kuwaittimes.net/