Green Tent discusses role of cybersecurity in comprehensive development

The 8th Green Tent symposium held by 'A Flower Every Spring' program discussed the topic of cybersecurity and its role in achieving comprehensive development, stressing the need for protective measures and programs in securing various systems and networks, such as securing cyber systems (computers, networks, programs and other electronic devices) from electronic attacks and threats, protecting data and information, adopting well-studied protection programs and security systems, implementing security procedures in organizations and companies, as well as training employees and users on ways to deal with and prevent electronic threats, protecting information, and maintaining its confidentiality for individuals and institutions.Participating cybersecurity experts and specialists said that combating cyber crime demands that institutions and individuals adopt a number of measures, such as being well aware of the repercussions of cybersecurity threats and acknowledging that the security of institutions and states is a collective responsibility, as well as providing individuals with the training corresponding to the emerging threats. Experts identified a set of steps to protect data, including using strong passwords and changing them regularly, installing computer protection software and conducting regular software security updates, encrypting sensitive files before saving or sending them, and setting the necessary permissions to grant access to sensitive information, while keeping data backups for sensitive information, as well as appropriate training for employees.Speakers at the symposium discussed the significance of artificial intelligence in human life and its role in advancing various fields of science, especially the important role it played during the Corona pandemic and its entry into countries' security sectors, by securing borders (through drones), combating crimes, and regulating traffic, in addition to its important role in the domain of the industrial and agricultural sectors, international trade and global capital movement.In this context, they pointed out that as artificial intelligence's role in modern life and humanity's progress increased in significance, so did the threat of electronic piracy and cyber attacks, posing a cross-border threat, given that some hostile countries, international gangster networks, and shadow entities are using them to harm others. Experts pointed out that digital threats and electronic piracy have diversified greatly over the past few years, with the rate of cyber crime having risen up by 300% since the end of 2022, and electronic phishing attacks topping the list of threats and incidents worldwide, as the percentage of cyber crime reached 82 percent of security incidents, explaining that its global cost is estimated at about $6tn annually, to reach $10.5tn by 2025.Regarding cyber attack trends, experts indicated that cyber attacks target vital infrastructure, industrial control systems, cyber and physical systems, and Internet of Things systems, besides targeting individuals through exploiting social media applications and websites, stressing the need to confront all types of cyber crimes by issuing legislation to address them, and adopting legislation that preserves the data confidentiality for people, companies, and countries, in addition to defining roles and responsibilities, prepare for and respond to security incidents using backups, systems updates and lists of compromised information assets.Regarding the difference between cybersecurity and data protection, the specialists said that the former focuses on protecting systems and networks, securing data and information from external attacks and threats, and includes protecting electronic devices, applications, servers, and other technological components that help manage and store information.While data protection, on the other hand, is concerned with protecting all sorts of data from unauthorised access, manipulation and destruction, whether by employees within the organization (internal threat) or by intentional external parties (external threat). In the same context, Head of A Flower Each Spring program Dr Saif bin Ali al-Hajri noted that cyber security enhances the quality of life since it protects devices and data, in an ever digital world, necessitating support for legislation and controls for the sector.