(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
In a bid to heighten awareness on the far-reaching implications of cyber security threats on national and economic safety, Hamad Bin Khalifa University's (HBKU) College of Science and Engineering (CSE) hosted the new edition of its ICT Seminar Series, entitled Emerging Cyber Threats, recently. Guest lecturer and academic Dr Saif Al Kuwari led the seminar, which discussed the benefits and threats that recent technological advances bring to modern states.
Addressing graduate students in the seminar, Dr Al Kuwari shared his research findings and shed light on the extensive role that technology plays in societies, national economies, education systems, health care facilities, and political arenas. He concluded that, while the dawn of the digital era had introduced dramatic improvements to the global standard of living, technology had paradoxically also ushered a new set of challenges and threats in the form of cyber crime. To illustrate this, he utilised recent case studies to demonstrate how stealthily cyber attacks may be perpetrated, and the devastating political and economic impacts they carry at the individual, enterprise, and state-levels. He also summarised facets of the cyber security infrastructure to the prevent future cyber threats.
Commenting on the opportunities and threats of cyberspace as they relate to graduates in Qatar, Dr Mounir Hamdi, dean of CSE, said: 'Today, cyber security emerges as a top national security issue. It is also regarded as an economic priority, warranting a shift in our educational focus. Our nation's youth including the graduates we address here today at the ICT Seminar Series are ‘digital natives'. They have never known a world where Internet and connectivity to cyberspace were not commonplace, and these technological threats affect them tremendously. It will be them who will serve as the engines of our national economy and its security in the future, and this is where we see the importance of this seminar, in which we invite leaders from industry and academia to share with us the benefit of their knowledge and experience.
Although not intrinsically linked to the cyberattacks in Qatar earlier this year, the seminar comes at a pivotal time for Qatar's technological future. Increasingly, educational institutions in the country have placed newfound emphasis on ensuring that the next generation has a firm understanding of the implications of cyberattacks.
Dr Marwa Qaraqe, an assistant professor at the College of Science and Engineering, said: 'This talk by Dr Al Kuwari is of particular interest to Qatar because it highlights the potential threats that emerging technologies can harbour. New technological advances are quick to be adopted, however, consumers fail to understand the potential risks associated with these technologies with respect to our society, education, health, economics, and politics. Dr Al Kuwari discussed several recent cyber incidents, how they were orchestrated, and their effects on Qatar. '
MENAFN0612201700630000ID1096194728
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.