(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Abbas Ganbay Read more
The Azerbaijan cyber Security Centre was established in March
2023 with the support of PASHA Holding Group and Technion Institute
in Israel. Over the next 3 years, the center will train more than
1000 people in the field of cyber security. 15 trainers from Israel
will provide knowledge and skills on the latest cybersecurity
threats, trends, and best practices.
The center is equipped with classrooms, training rooms,
simulation rooms, and laboratories with the latest technology and
equipment. Colonel General Ali Nagiyev, Head of the State Security
Service, Rashad Nabiyev, Minister of Digital Development and
Transport, Gabi Ashkenazi, former Israeli Foreign Minister, Boaz
Golani, Executive Vice President and General Director of Technion,
and representatives of the Israeli Embassy attended the opening
ceremony of the Centre.
Azerbaijan is constantly taking measures to prevent cyber
threats and threats related to information security. In 2021,
Azerbaijan ranked 40th among 194 countries in the Global
Cybersecurity Index.
The cyber security sector is included in Azerbaijan's
development strategy until 2030. Earlier, Azerbaijan approved a
strategy on information security and cyber security for
2023-2027.
According to this strategy, Azerbaijan will establish
cybersecurity requirements for the national digital airspace,
determine tax incentives and other mandatory payments in connection
with the development of information security technologies, improve
personal data protection, establish consulting platforms on
information security and cybersecurity, take measures to prepare
national resources in the field of cryptographic protection and
develop an organizational structure plan for the establishment of
cyber organizations.
In addition, a plan will be developed to establish an
organizational structure, risk assessment, and management plan to
secure and manage critical information infrastructure in
emergencies and war, and an electronic information system
"Cybercrime" will be formed.
Criteria and indicators for detecting and measuring incidents
and critical cases will also be defined, and an information
security risk register will be maintained.
The Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, the State
Service for Special Communication and Information Security, and the
Central Bank of Azerbaijan are working on the development and
protection of state digital systems and web resources.
The Central Bank of Azerbaijan is also working on a
cybersecurity strategy for Azerbaijani banks, which is scheduled
for implementation this year. The government is also working on
establishing a Government Cloud (G-cloud) in Azerbaijan and
providing cloud services to public, private, and foreign
entities.
The Association of Cyber Security Organizations of Azerbaijan
was also established to unite on a single platform companies,
organizations, and specialists working in the field of information
technology and cyber security in the country.
Critical Infrastructure Defense Challenge 2023
(CIDC-2023)
The event is to be held at the Baku Congress Centre on 26-27
October 2023, jointly organized by the State Special Communication
and Information Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan
(SCSID) and the State Security Service of Azerbaijan.
CIDC-2023 will bring together domestic and foreign companies,
public and private sector, students, and experts in the field.
The event will include the first Cyber Warfare competition in
Azerbaijan to develop the ability to protect critical information
systems from cyberattacks and manage information systems in crisis
situations. Participating teams will have to secure virtual
information systems in the competition, which will be conducted by
modeling cyber-attacks.
The legal framework for cyber security in Azerbaijan needs to be
strengthened, as cyber weapons in various forms (e.g., the Stuxnet
virus) have already attempted to disrupt the state's
cyberinfrastructure. There is an urgent need to build a strong and,
in order to prevent the risks of cyber-attacks on the country's
digital infrastructure, a strong and well-protected cyber network
is required. In addition, promoting and improving cyber legislation
and creating a cyber-army has become a vital requirement for
Azerbaijan to strengthen the state's national cyber security.
On 19 September, during a local anti-terrorist operation
conducted by Azerbaijan on its territory in the Garabagh economic
region to disarm the separatist regime and after its surrender,
government institutions were attacked by cyber-attacks by the
terrorist regime.
The UK is ready to support Azerbaijan in the field of cyber
security. UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan Fergus Auld wrote this on his
social media page after the incident.
"Azerbaijan is in a challenging neighborhood and particular
attention should be paid to the dangers that cyber-attacks can pose
and the best ways to prevent them. British companies are always
ready to support Azerbaijan in this area," Fergus said.
Earlier, a number of Azerbaijani state bodies were subjected to
cyberattacks during anti-terrorist activities in Garabagh.
"More than four million DDoS attacks per second have been
registered on the president's official website alone. Specialists
of our service continue to work in this direction in a reinforced
mode," said Tural Mammadov, head of the Department of the State
Service for Special Communication and Information Security.
"Artificial Intelligence in the New Generation
Economy:
Challenges and Opportunities in the framework of the conference
"Application of Technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in
the National Economy" within the framework of the "Socio-Economic
Development Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for
2022-2026".
About 9 major projects covering public, private, and civil
sectors, as well as 69 areas of activity designed to implement
these projects, will contribute to economic growth in Azerbaijan by
2030, increase the competitiveness of industries, facilitate
citizens' access to services, and improve the provision of public
services, said Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Economy Sahib
Alakbarov.
Azerbaijan envisages frequent use of artificial
intelligence
In the near future, Azerbaijan plans to introduce artificial
intelligence fluent in Azerbaijani language and post Azerbaijani
content. The aim of the initiative is to protect Azerbaijan's
cultural wealth and expand the use of AI in Baku and its regions,
which will help increase economic growth and stimulate job and
industry creation.
"In the future, the widespread use of AI technologies will
require increased attention to this area, training of specialists
with new thinking, and definition of ethical norms. The rapid
development of technology and the emergence of advanced GPT models
create a great need for the creation of procurement standards,"
said the Deputy Minister of Economy.
To better organize the procurement process in the enterprise,
the management should define a unified plan of artificial
intelligence development strategy. According to statistics, the
artificial intelligence market was valued at $136 billion in 2022
and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 37.3
percent from 2023 to 2030.
Azerbaijan will conduct all public procurements using
digital platforms
With the introduction of the new law "On Public Procurement" in
Azerbaijan from 1 January next year it is planned to organize and
conduct 100% of public procurement using digital platforms, Mammad
Abbasbeyli, head of the State Service for Antimonopoly Control and
Consumer Market Supervision under the Ministry of Economy of
Azerbaijan, said.
"The draft law was prepared in accordance with international
practice and by now all processes and negative aspects have been
assessed based on opinions received from state organisations and
the market. As a result, from 1 January, all public procurement in
Azerbaijan will be conducted using digital platforms. The benefits
of this will be enormous. We are approaching this from the point of
view of supporting the development of entrepreneurship"
"After the introduction of these platforms, the entire activity
of the service will be digitized," M. Abbasbeyli concluded.
The Azerbaijan Centre for Analysis of the IV Industrial
Revolution cooperates with the World Economic Forum.
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