Business seminar highlights need for public awareness of cyber crime

Experts talk in Abu Dhabi about digital 'hygiene' and the potential impact of so-called 'spearphishing'.

ABU DHABI // As more of the country’s business and government services move online, people need to be aware of the constant threat of cyber crime.

That was the message conveyed to industry and representatives at an event hosted by the American Business Group of Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

The seminar was entitled “eGovernment and On-Line Business in the Age of Advanced Persistent Cyber Threats” and featured keynote speaker Rob Marano, co-founder of the US internet services company The Hackerati and adjunct professor at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT).

“It is not just a problem in this region, it is global,” he said.

“The minute you put a business or service online, it is accessible anywhere in the world. This is the first time in history that you can be based in one part of the world but accessible from anywhere over the internet – anyone can come to your front door.”

Mr Marano said that the key to online security was digital “hygiene” – a term he used to describe the constant maintenance and updating of security systems.

He spoke about the potential impact of so-called “spearphishing” – a type of cyber attack where emails are made to look as if they are from a familiar person or entity but are actually fraudulent.

Any information gained through these emails can then be used to gain access to sensitive data.

“While the cost of cyber crime is estimated in billions of dollars annually, it is very hard to comprehend the actual economic impact of cyber attacks,” said Dr Rahmat Shoureshi, NYIT provost. “It is best to educate the public about cyber security and ways that they can protect themselves.”

The attendees, from about 100 different businesses in Abu Dhabi, were told of the importance of diligence in their online affairs and constantly maintaining and upgrading their security software.

Human error was also a key point of interest at the seminar. One example given was how accessing company or government information using personal devices can compromise security.

The event was also designed to promote business activities between the UAE and the US.

Dr Shoureshi highlighted that NYIT in Abu Dhabi, which was established in 2005, has been working to educate Emiratis in the field.

“We have graduated hundreds of Emiratis and what we have done is to take priority issues and educate the public about them,” he said.

“We want to talk about cyber security and the impact on e-commerce. At the same time we want to inform the community about some of the other activities and degree programmes that NYIT does.

“It is very important for Emiratis to study with us and one of our goals is to contribute to the society and economy. Our goal as an educational institution is to educate Emiratis in the areas that are in demand in the UAE.

“We believe that, given the UAE government goals for a knowledge-based economy and prioritising e-government, we can work very well together for mutual benefit.”

The partnership between the UAE and the US was hailed as vital for both parties at the seminar.

“The target is to promote business relationships between the UAE and the US,” said Elias Sayah, a member of the board of directors for the American Chamber of Commerce Abu Dhabi.

“The UAE is a major trade partner for the US in the Middle East. Last year, it was worth more than US$24 billion (Dh88.2bn).

“We feel that cyber security protects investment for the many companies that operate here. It is in the interest of every UAE citizen as well to protect their investment and we feel this knowledge will help to go towards that.

“The US is the on the same page as the UAE when it comes to this issue.”