Information security threats to be fought jointly in Dubai

BY PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 31 March 2010

Information security threats in Dubai will be jointly faced by Municipality and Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA).

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Tuesday between the Dubai Municipality (DM) and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) to ensure information security at the highest global level.

According to the MoU, the government entities will cooperate in handling directives and instructions to provide preliminary advices on the threats and weaknesses of information security.

A spokesperson at the municipality said that the association will boost results for the protection of electronic information systems from cyber attacks and serve as a focal point response team to coordinate all communications with the authorities and national and international computer emergency response teams.

"It will also maintain a database of names and addresses of the liaison officers of both the bodies, in addition to maintain links of local, regional and international computer emergency response teams," he added.

"The municipality shall provide information requested by TRA related to information security in terms of the nature and type of work carried out by it such as the information on infrastructure and systems used by it," said the DM spokesperson.Both sides shall carry out scrutiny and independent evaluation of the nature and volume of the difficulties and the risks that may occur or they may face under the MoU, and therefore both parties shall accept the probability of a shortage or error in respect of any matters relating to the implementation of the MoU.

"The response teams shall issue initial warnings and consulting advices to the associate based on the information provided by the associate on electronic security incidents within their own operational data," according to a TRA official.

"The MoU will also help to carry out research and risk analysis and security assessments on the new and current techniques as well as related services, and also on potential and new threats, for the purpose of providing appropriate information and necessary advice to the associate," he added.

According to him, the team shall provide anticipatory services to measure the quality of information security with the associate.

"It shall also protect the intellectual property rights of the response team, which includes copyright, trademarks and designs, and all the materials generating from the consultancy work of the team," said the official.

Bomb hoax holds Emirates flight at Heathrow

BY PMA RASHEED

10 Jan 2010, The Gulf Today

Three Dubai-bound passengers were arrested aboard an Emirates Airlines flight over an alleged bomb threat at London's Heathrow airport, late on Friday, the carrier's officials confirmed in Dubai.

On suspicion of issuing a bomb threat, armed British Police officers had the three British men ejected off the Dubai national carrier's flight that was about to depart for Dubai on Friday evening. The suspects made a "verbal threat" to flight crew, news agency AP has reported.

Crew alert police

A spokesperson of the Emirates Airlines told The Gulf Today that the flight EK004 prepared to depart London Heathrow for Dubai on Friday evening. Following the remarks by the suspected passengers, the crew alerted the Metropolitan Police who subsequently boarded the aircraft and detained three passengers.

According to the London's Metropolitan Police Service, they were alerted after the threat was made at around 9.15pm UK time on Friday.

English and drunk

It said in a statement that the three suspects under custody were men aged 58, 48 and 36 years.

Meanwhile, a news story aired on Sky News television said that the men arrested were English and appeared to be drunk.

"The flight had 331 passengers onboard. All the passengers were subsequently disembarked safely as the London Police undertook security precautions," said the Emirates official.

"Due to operational restrictions, the flight has been rescheduled to depart from London at 3pm local time (15.00 Hours GMT). The flight was expected to land in Dubai after six hours of its departure at Heathrow airport," added the spokesperson.

According to the official, the Emirates has provided overnight hotel accommodation and other conveniences for the affected passengers. The safety and security of all our passengers is paramount.

The Emirates Airlines also apologised for the inconvenience faced by its passengers bound for Dubai.

A false alarm

"The Emirates Airbus plane was standing on the Southern runway at the Heathrow Airport, after the armed Police boarded the aircraft in response to the perceived security threat. The passengers had been removed from the plane and the aircraft was being searched, but had found no hazardous material," the AP report said.

A passenger told the news agency that the police officers brandishing guns in body armour burst onto the plane and hauled the suspects away.

The Sky News television broadcast a grainy picture photograph purportedly taken inside the aircraft. The supplied picture showed Police in black overalls.

Another passenger Cameron McLean was also quoted as saying that the some special Police just came on the plane and arrested the guys a few rows in front of him. The police just swarmed and rushed the white males out.

However, the airport remained open. The incident over security had only affected the Dubai-bound plane. The Heathrow airport in London is one of the busiest air hubs in the world. The alert at the airport came amid tightened security measures at airports across the world, following an alleged attempt by a young Nigerian to bomb a plane landing in Detroit on Christmas Day by concealing explosives in his underwear.