Etisalat Academy announces MEITSEC 2003 recommendations

Held under the theme ' Enhancing IT Security in Today's Enterprise', the conference attracted 33 IT security experts and 300 delegations from the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

' The conference has reached a number of effective recommendations that are of use to legislative, judicial and police bodies in the UAE and the region. Technical recommendations have been issued to help network administrators as well as IT systems and applications specialists - in both governmental and private sectors - to develop efficient methods to face up to cyber malpractices, ' said Dr. Doaa Fares, Etisalat Academy General Manager.

Technical recommendations have emphasized the need to adopt a comprehensive approach encompassing an in-depth defense strategy through using firewalls, carrying out strict software policy compliance and securing content at all levels. IT security management training has also been underscored, covering vulnerability management, identity management, incident management and risk management, as has been the use of original certified operating systems and network programmes.

The conference urged big corporations to opt for a trustworthy security solutions provider able to understand end-to-end security, and has multi-vendor platform and technologies skills. It also recommended that networks and database administrators have the necessary and basic technical skills to scrutinize information and networks, to identify hacking rates and timings and prepare periodical reports accordingly. Risk analysis to provide management with sufficient information in order to make prudent decisions on information protection was also advised.

Furthermore, the conference recommended that major crucial national databases should be backed up on external storage media so as to be easily restored in emergencies. This backup should be stored in highly secure places inside a corporation or establishment. A highly qualified team should be set and trained to manage crisis situations in case of major hacking, with a minimum of two system administrators being available in a corporation.

Technical recommendations also highlighted the need to set an internal electronic auditing unit. A division of the auditing system, this unit will be tasked with reviewing networks and database systems performance, the competency of administrators and the latest and most developed technologies in the field.

On the procedural and administrative level, the conference underscored the need to enact new laws and legislations to effectively tackle illegal cyber activities, and to respect propriety rights in all dealings. Equally important, it emphasized the need to raise awareness levels of Internet benefits among Internet users, especially the youth. Conference discussions also stressed the vital importance of IT professionals training and development, and the strengthening of IT use and awareness levels amongst individuals, businesses and government departments.

During the event, high profile speakers from all over the world presented topics ranging from best practices, next generation security services, cyber forensics and computer crimes investigation and legislative issues. A ' Hackers Court' was organized on the sidelines of the conference. The first of its kind in the Middle East, the mock trial featured a hacker depicting his actions and the law-enforcers and judges framing charges in an attempt to have him convicted.

Main sponsors for this year's conference are ISS (Internet Security Systems), Cisco Systems and Symantec. Co-sponsors for the event are Comtrust, EIM and Etisalat. As well as Executive Vice Presidents and senior managers from Etisalat, the conference will attract government officials, municipal employees and representatives from the region's business community including law enforcement officers, IT managers, network security architects and CEOs.