Experts reveal cyber-security systems at Idex

ABU DHABI // An overhaul in the way government websites are protected to help tackle hackers and prevent information leaks was unveiled by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority at Idex on Monday.

Among the security systems introduced was Mosaic, which searches a target list for cyber-attacks in the UAE.

“It is still in beta testing and we started developing the application last August,” said Ayoub Fathi, security assistant engineer at the authority.

“It searches keywords that are related to the UAE and finds out from hackers any information we need to know related to the UAE. We’re trying to improve it for now and we hope it will be fully functional by the end of the year.”

So far the system has collected huge amounts of data, with hundreds of incidents reported.

“Most hackers are from outside the UAE,” Mr Fathi said. “Hacker communities are getting bigger and a lot of information is difficult to detect without such a system. There’s also an increased use of smart technology and this is the kind of information you won’t get anywhere else.”

Another system, the Data Leakage Detection System and Recovery, which is still under development, will allow authorities to find out if any confidential information related to the UAE has been made available to the public. “We started it last month,” added Mr Fathi. “We’re doing it manually for now, it’s still in early stages and not in its final version yet.”