UAE: Agreement for cooperation in the field of cyber security with India and activity to train students in this field
On February 12th it was reported that India and the UAE had signed four agreements covering a wide range of topics, including cyber security and investment. These came as part of discussions held by the Indian Prime Minister, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander of Military Forces, with the aim of expanding cooperation in the fields of security and counter-terrorism.
Meanwhile, ten days later it was published that a director at the National Electronic Security Authority had said that the UAE was in need of more cyber security experts in order to take advantage of the available technologies such as cloud computing, wearable devices, automated systems and processes. Otherwise, the UAE’s efforts to be a technology leader will leave it exposed to increasing threats.
As part of tackling this shortage, on February 24th a partnership was announced between Raytheon company and University of Al-Khalifa, with the aim of increasing cyber security skills among students in the UAE. This was a part of the company’s global initiative entitled “Cyber Academy”. Part of “Cyber Academy” was a four-day workshop during February 22th-25th, held by the Centre for Security and Infrastructure Security (CIAS) at the University of San Antonio, Texas. During the workshop, the students were taught about aspects of cyber security, and practiced defense methodologies related to securing infrastructures. In addition, there was a hacking contest, which was directed by students from CIAS. The purpose of all of this was to teach critical infrastructure protection and to build “knowledge and skills in the field of cyber security in the UAE”.
The university’s Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies declared it was important that the UAE continue to develop its infrastructure and talent in the field of cyber security; “We must have the capabilities to defend ourselves against threats in the cyberspace”.
Meanwhile, at a conference in Abu Dhabi entitled “[Bridging] the Gaps in Cyber Security Skills”, in which industry, government and education representatives took part, the director of Raytheon in the UAE admitted that the training of local experts will not be an easy task, mainly due to the low population.
Within the framework of the UAE to train personnel in the field of cyber security, there was a report in April 2013 that the cyber security domain is part of the learning program and in January 2014 it was reported that Microsoft will train teachers in technology.
Regarding cyber responsible behavior, in January 2016 there was published a file regarding “101 Cyber Safety Tips” to schools across the UAE to increase security especially against cyber threats and online bullying and in June 2014 it was reported that Dubai police released a responsible cyber behavior guidelines file as well.
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