Baku hosts 2nd International Cyber Security Week

By Azernews

By Akbar Mammadov

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies is hosting the 2nd International Cyber Security Week to be held between in Baku between March 2 and 6.

Addressing the first event of the Week - The Cyber Security Conference, Deputy Minister of Transport, Communication and High Technologies Elmir Velizadeh said that Azerbaijan is undergoing fast digital transformation.

“Today, digital transformation in our country is proceeding rapidly… Implementation of the adopted National Strategy, Strategic Roadmap, relevant decrees and orders will provide significant results in this direction. Fibre-optic, LTE network is expanding. Preparatory work is underway for the transition to 5G, testing is ongoing,” Velizadeh said.

He added that there is substantial infrastructure in the country. Information systems of national importance are used in public administration, education, healthcare, energy, security, defence, justice, agriculture, banking and finance and other areas. “Data centres are operating, Government Cloud is being created, and today 80 per cent of Azerbaijan’s population are internet users,” the deputy minister said.

Noting the Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe by Azerbaijan in 2008, he also said that security agencies responsible for cyber security, including the Electronic Security Service under the Ministry operate in this field.

“Based on international standards, 18 national standards for information security have been developed and registered. Licensing of software used by government agencies is carried out. Various conferences, workshops, pieces of training on cyber security are held. Cyber Security Week is a good example of this,” he added.

The deputy minister emphasized that one of the main targets of cyber attacks is personal and other confidential information.

“In recent years, serious steps have been taken in the European Union and other developed countries to improve the legislative framework in this area. In our country, this work is underway. The Ministry is working with relevant authorities to improve the legislative framework. Certification of work on the processing and protection of personal data is provided, as well as informing the relevant bodies and personal data subjects in case of violation of the law. We believe that these steps will contribute to the overall cyber security.”

He also mentioned that these issues are reflected in the draft National Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Information Security and Cyber Security for 2020-2025, which is being developed jointly with relevant authorities.

Noting the key role of cyber security in the ITU’s activities, ITU Regional Director for the CIS Natalia Mochu said that as a member of the ITU Council, Azerbaijan is an active partner of the organization.

“Cyber Security Week, organized by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, will make a valuable contribution to the exchange of knowledge and experience in this field by experts,” added Natalia Mochu.

Talking about the importance of the benefits of digital economics, online education and virtual communication, UNDP Resident Representative for Azerbaijan Alessandro Fracassetti expressed confidence that in a series of events that will be held during the week, valuable information on the work in the field will be obtained, and the exchange of knowledge and experience between local and international experts will be useful to overcome the digital divide and protect from cyber attacks.

During his speech, President of the Azerbaijan Banks Association Zakir Nuriyev stated that the challenge facing the financial sector today is not only the introduction of high technology.

“Twenty-seven of the banks operating in Azerbaijan provide banking applications to their customers, and 23 banks provide mobile banking Internet services using mobile technologies. One of the challenges facing us today is to reduce the cost of new technologies that we use, the cost of services provided and their implementation in economic entities,” Zakir Nuriyev added.

Making a presentation on “The National Cyber security Ecosystem: Challenges and Opportunities”, co-founder of Cyber ??Security Group Doron Tamir noted that cyber security issues should be seen as a factor in economic growth.

“Cyber security knowledge should be acquired from secondary schools. The transfer of professional knowledge is an important factor in the training of highly qualified personnel.” the Israeli experience, Doron Tamir said.

Presenting a report on the topic “Cyber security of smart cities”, Regional director Trend Micro in CIS, Georgia and Mongolia German Pozankov said that by 2050, about 70% of the population will live in smart cities.

 “Subsystems of smart cities, such as smart vehicles, smart factories and smart government can be subjected to various attacks by cybercriminals depending on their goals and objectives,” he added.

The Conference on Cyber security was attended by more than 250 authorized persons and industry experts: representatives of government agencies, private organizations, academia and universities, international organizations, mobile operators, banks, ICT companies, Internet service providers and operators, diplomatic corps, NGOs, civil society and the Internet community from the USA, Hungary, Israel, Belarus, Russia, India and other countries.

In parallel with the conference, the Cyber Village exhibition was held, at which 15 local and international companies presented their cyber security solutions.