A senior official from the Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DSEC) advised residents to download and use their RZAM app to safeguard data against vulnerable websites.
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"When you have data on Snapchat, you're the ambassador and owner of your data. You should be responsible for it and know how to store data such as personal and family photos ," said Dr Bushra AlBlooshi, director of the Cybersecurity Governance Risk Management Department at the DSEC and chair of the World Bank GovTech Working Group on Cloud Computing.
"[These photos] can be kept on Snapchat but there are encryption mechanisms and tools that residents should activate. Social media apps provide tools. You - as an owner of your data - should take the responsibility and turn on (safety) tools,” AlBlooshi told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the Global Government Cloud Forum held at The Museum of the Future on Tuesday.
How RZAM works
Working as an added layer of security, the RZAM app detects any attack on users' browsers, AlBlooshi said,
"When you browse and land on a vulnerable website, it will just block it,” she said.
Despite the growing concerns about cybercrimes across the world, the official assured that Dubai residents' data is safe and secured.
“From a government perspective, data is safe and secured as we follow the UAE data privacy law," she said.
Amer Sharaf, CEO of Cyber Security Systems and Services Sector at DESC, stressed that local cybersecurity is strong and resilient.
There are still threats, though, and hackers still target unsuspecting residents in the city.
Social engineering is“one of the most common attacks and vulnerabilities that we have not just in UAE, but globally", she said.
"People are social-engineered either through SMS, WhatsApp or other means. Attackers are using different mechanisms every day but we have awareness programmes to keep people in Dubai informed about the latest trends and vulnerabilities so that they can take care of their own data and their companies,” AlBlooshi said.
The official urged residents to be careful against impersonators, phishing attacks or fraudsters claiming to be calling from a bank and seeking an OTP number.
How AI is reshaping life
The one-day Global Government Cloud Forum saw the participation of dozens of speakers from public and private sectors, as well as officials from the World Bank.
Roby Senderowitsch, practice manager for public administration, governance global practice at World Bank, talked about AI in his keynote address at the forum.
Senderowitsch said AI is often described as a gamechanger that promises to reshape public service and personal lives from creating smarter cities to faster decision-making and providing better services to citizens.
“AI cannot thrive in isolation. Without cloud computing it is difficult to get the benefit that AI can provide us,” he said.