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.