Cyber attack is a real threat and should be dealt with seriously, remarked HE the Minister of State for Defence Affairs and Member of the Council of Ministers, Dr Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah.

He was speaking on the topic ‘Electronic Attacks and their Economic and Social Effects’ as part of the Dean’s Lecture Series at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q).

“I have heard many labels attributed to cyber attacks. I have heard it being called cyber-warfare. I have also heard it being called cyber terrorism. Regardless of what name it is concealed behind, it is a real threat, and it should be dealt with seriously,” explained the minister.

Dr al-Attiyah interacted with an audience that consisted of CMU-Q dean Dr Michael Trick, ambassadors, faculty members and a large number of students and the public. He started narrating his earlier days as a jet pilot and how it was far more complicated than now.

“I have flown in hostile skies, been shot at, and almost ran out of fuel when I was miles from my base. However, the commonality between all the dangers that I and my colleagues faced during those times was that those dangers were tangible,” he told the audience.

However, he noted that today’s dangers are no longer tangible. “We face unconventional dangers that threaten the very fabric of our society. Extremists no longer target societies with just bombs or other forms of weaponry — they have adapted their malicious methods and are now targeting our young from behind a keyboard,” he highlighted.

“Our economies are no longer just threatened by the changes in oil prices or the efficiency of its markets, but is now subject to change by the meddling of just one person with a keyboard and access to the internet, “ he continued.

To highlight the impact of cyber-attack, the minister also presented a hypothetical case study about "how a number of state actors decided to boycott and besiege their small but wealthy neighbour state and hacked its national news agency to propagate false news as they had no legitimate way to impose the besiegement.
"However, the small country soon overcame the initial confusion and panic and was able to expose the real purpose of these state actors to the entire world. Later, the resilience and the intellect of the people of the small country upset the whole plan of the state players and in the long run the act made the small country much stronger."

“We must focus our efforts on developing our own human capital in matters involving cyber-security and computer programming; we need to continue exploring strategic partnerships that ensure the safety and security of our own infrastructure; and we must invest in research and development that progresses our understanding of the ever-expanding world of cyber intelligence,” he maintained.

“The new capabilities come with a price. We are becoming more susceptible to attacks with only one click of a button. Our technologies, if not protected properly, could be damaged in ways that would not only cause economic damages, but would endanger lives,” he cautioned.

“The challenges we face are ever-changing, but so are we. We are developing our cyber capabilities to not only match, but in fact surpass the capabilities of our enemies. We are creating enduring infrastructures that cater to our people and ensure their safety. We are building strategic relationships with nations and academic institutions in an effort to progress our own capacities,” he added.

Related Story