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The new platform has been designed by a team of UAE nationals
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Digital14’s research reveals an exponential surge in phishing and ransomware
The Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DESC) has launched a new cybersecurity platform, known as ‘TIRS’, which translates to “Shield” in English, at GISEC 2021, the 9th edition of the Middle East and Africa’s most influential and connected cybersecurity event, which is open until Wednesday at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
Speaking on the Government Stage, Ghaith Alsuwaidi, Deputy Director, Security Systems for the DESC, unveiled the new platform, designed entirely by a team of UAE nationals, which scans Dubai government websites to detect vulnerabilities within departments, delivers top-line data and issues a safety score out of five.
The platform also creates a threat report to inform participating entities on critical weaknesses, enabling them to take appropriate action to resolve any security gaps. Once the threat is identified and dealt with, the DESC will confirm the action taken within the TIRS system.
“TIRS is one of the key pillars monitoring Dubai’s cyberspace, through the Dubai Cyber Index Platform. It ensures the security of government websites and introduces competitiveness in terms of website security,” said Alsuwaidi, adding that the TIRS scoring will be a parameter on the Dubai Cyber Index by the end of this year.
Dr. Marwan Al-Zarouni, Director, Information Security Services, Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DESC) that in Dubai, they are not isolated from the world when it comes to regulation.
“We participate in global programs and contribute to policy-making, “Dr. Al-Zarouni said. “We are one of the first cities to mandate that all cloud providers to any government bodies need to be compliant to our security standards.”
UAE-based cybersecurity advisor, Digital14, launched its Cyber Resilience Report: The UAE Threat Landscape 2021, during GISEC.
Cyber defense experts evaluated and analyzed multiple digital assets in the UAE to give an in-depth understanding of the country’s threat landscape.
Digital14’s research revealed an exponential surge in phishing and ransomware with 1.1 million phishing attacks in 2020.
Joshua Knight, EVP Cyber Defense, Digital14, said that the traditional cybersecurity approaches are no longer enough.
“Traditional perimeter-based network defense, for example, is obsolete,” Knight said. “Not only does the perimeter no longer exist in our newly connected environments, but organizations must also recognize that their networks have most likely already been breached.”
Key findings of the report include: In 2020, 249,955 vulnerabilities were found in 800,315 unique instances Significant numbers of old vulnerabilities, some dating back to 2000, have yet to be remediated within UAE organizations’ networks. These can easily provide an entry point for devastating cyberattacks. Ransomware increased with a 33 percent rise in the number of new ransomware families compared with 2019.