Official: Azerbaijan developing new draft laws on critical information security

By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijan is developing new laws on critical information security, Head of State Service for Special Communication and Information Security of Azerbaijan Ilgar Musayev said.

The remarks were made at the Global Hybrid War and Cybersecurity summit in Baku.

According to him, this process will be completed shortly, and thanks to new laws, the activities in this sector will be simplified.

Musayev added that licenses for new startup and security service providers would be eliminated. Government agencies will establish specific security requirements, and providers will regulate their operations in accordance with these requirements.

Musayev stressed that two normative acts, one of which is related to the security of a critical information structure, are expected to be approved in Azerbaijan.

He noted that it’s also expected to approve information and cyber security strategy.

Further, he emphasized that serious steps have been taken in recent years in Azerbaijan to ensure information and cyber security.

He noted that Azerbaijan is making great strides in this area.

"As a state body, we attach great importance to working with the private sector," he added.

Moreover, the official informed that cyber-attacks against Azerbaijan have increased following the second Karabakh war and the recent September border events.

"This is why we have to work together in this area and prevent the cyberattacks," he said.

During the same event, Vice President for the Caspian region, Communications and External Affairs Baxtiyar Aslanbayli stated that BP is actively working on measures to strengthen cybersecurity in the oil industry.

"Today oil industry needs not only traditional security measures but also cybersecurity measures. BP also represents the private sector, which has been increasingly subjected to cyber attacks recently," he said.

According to Aslanbayli, the company's employees receive the appropriate training in the field of cybersecurity.

"One of BP's projects is also of educational nature. The company is working with universities on projects in the field of cybersecurity, the creation of laboratories in this area," he added.

Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer of Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency Ahmad Ismayilov noted that increasing the knowledge in the field of information security and compliance with the requirements of the law 'On State Secrets' is the responsibility of both journalists and social media users.

He specified the importance of carrying out work on legal education in the field of information security not only for media representatives but also for citizens in general. Ismayilov stressed that systematic work should be conducted to prevent enemy information attacks, and IT protection should be strengthened.

"On international resources such as Wikipedia, Google Maps, Youtube, and Facebook, it's necessary to post in different languages ??information reflecting the reality of Azerbaijan, as opposed to the false information spread by Armenians. Azerbaijani experienced scientists, researchers, and in general, the entire intelligence should actively participate in curbing the spread of lies and disinformation," he added.