IT Security Conference to Discuss Trends, ThreatsPublish Date: 2009-12-18 09:00:07 Story Code: 23611 ABU DHABI - Hundreds of cyber security personnel, researchers and information technology experts from around the globe will be in Abu Dhabi next year for the first-ever ‘Black Hat’ conference in the Middle East to discuss the latest security trends and threats on cyberspace.
The Black Hat Abu Dhabi (BHAD) conference will focus on digital self defence and aims at benefitting the expected 200 top-tier public and private sector security personnel, including the banking sector and the law-enforcement agencies from across the globe with its two-day technical training and briefings on organised crime and compliances by leading experts in the industry. The cyber security conference, which will be held from May 30 to June 2, 2010 in the Capital, comes at a time when the UAE is amending its cyber crime laws and upping the ante on its online policing to combat cyber threats. Black Hat, a US-based professional security event provider, was founded in 1997 by Jeff Moss. From a single annual conference in Las Vegas, Black Hat has grown into a global conference with a series of events held in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Las Vegas and Washington DC. “We don’t like bad guys and we have a method of stopping them,” said Moss during the announcement of the conference on Wednesday in the Capital. Noting that cyber security is increasingly being seen as a top priority in many countries, Moss said the conference is very timely for the UAE who he sees to be giving a primary focus on technology. “The UAE have a focus on technology, the right (English) language skills, have the pain for education and the culture of inquisitiveness — really the desire to understand what’s going on with the network.. and that’s what important. (The UAE) is not just a consumer of technology, I think the desire is there to develop technology,” he told Khaleej Times. According to Tariq Al Hawi, director of the Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT), there are around a hundred IT security professionals in the UAE, but they don’t meet and exchange information. He hopes that this conference will be an opportunity for them to meet and establish trust which, he said, is important in this field. Mohammed Gheyath, executive director of Technology Development Affairs at the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), noted the importance of directing the “raw natural talent” of the Emiratis to the right direction by getting more exposure in this field. As many young minds could easily get swayed by subversive influences, Moss stressed the benefits of students learning “how to defend than how to attack, and show them that they’re not operating in a vacuum.” He said, “There’s a larger world out there and what they do will have implications on the larger world. So, maybe it will provide them a little bit of direction.” Since the technology is growing very quickly and as such security personnel should be able to arm themselves with the right security tool, Moss said it was imperative to find the threats even before it gets developed and be able to counter attack. © Khaleej Times 2009. All rights reserved. Share this story:  Digg
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