Page 4 - SAMENA Trends - February 2020

EDITORIAL SAMENA TRENDS

Necessitating Cybersecurity

While we were working hard to master use- acts, including harvesting user log-in
cases for 5G, mastering SARS-CoV-2 has information and exploitation of children
suddenly caused an abrupt priority shift, and young people (CYP) online.
bringing among other things cybersecurity
to the forefront of our mitigative It seems most logical to practice and
approaches. to communicate to industry peers that,
in the wake of Covid-19 concerns, just
Cyber threats, almost literally speaking, are as personal and environmental hygiene
similar to Coronavirus-like attacks, which is the single most important thing one
have recently emerged all around the world can ensure, a similar level of “hygiene”
in the form of an unimaginable pandemic. is required in accessing and using data
By the time this edition of Trends is out, it online. Any careless attempt to learn about
will have taken more than two months for the virus or its cure can actually lead the
the world to realize that an “attack” had user astray, causing an altogether different
occurred. What follows next is the challenge type of infection.
of responding to that occurrence, which will Bocar A. BA
Chief Executive Officer & Board
have taken many countries and numerous Mobile networks have made it possible to Member
industries, including the Telecom Industry, utilize medical data in a targeted manner SAMENA Telecommunications
by a surprise. by leveraging mobile technologies and thus Council
has contributed toward raising awareness
Responding to new viruses, whether as well as to help prepare the general
cyber or biological, requires urgency, new public on how to curtail or slow down the
approaches, a new knowledge base, an spread of pandemic infections. Thus it
all-integrated emergency management is now more important than ever before
strategy, complemented by introduction that cybersecurity take a central role in
of a myriad of on-the-ground physical our strategy to not only protect corporate
changes. Among the swiftest actions networks, or digital infrastructure from
taken by organizations in reaction to the intrusion, or ward off against other forms
current health crisis, remote working and of manipulation of systems or humans
remote learning have become the new through digital means, but also to protect
norms, almost overnight. However, there the general public against falsehood.
is a major challenge that this approach
inherently carries: This places a much Discernment of real news from fake and
greater responsibility on the organizations propaganda-driven information, or to
as well as the employees, and students, to be able to identify truthful information
safeguard information and data; both their carrying deceptive or malicious intent, is
own and the organizations’. Everything a major challenge that every single one of
in the name of Coronavirus, causing both us has been exposed to, and is witnessing
panic; opportunistically distracting end- first-hand as we deal with the prevailing
users; and exploiting the unwary users real-life global health crisis. Undoubtedly,
online, is possible. Exploitative acts the complexity of the current digital
range from overpriced sale of sanitizers ecosystem, access to the networks, and
to phishing emails and more malicious numerous uses of the communication

4 FEBRUARY 2020