Muscat: Oman’s Information Technology Authority (ITA) stopped more than 800 million cyber attacks on government networks in 2017, thanks to a vigilant team of specialists and strong measures installed by the administration to protect the Sultanate’s key websites that are key to its daily functioning.
The ITA’s annual report for 2017 states that 880,843,349 attacks on government networks were thwarted by the Oman National Computer Emergency Readiness Team (OCERT).
Highlighting Oman’s need to develop strong and secure digital infrastructure, the report added that 96.5 per cent of all detected security incidents were handled within five working days of first being reported. A total of 509 security incidents were handled and detected.
Reflecting this, the ITA’s online monitoring teams were able to discover 1,859 forms of spyware, and a further 11,370 examples of viruses and malware. To further the government’s commitment towards safe e-governance, 14 web portals and 44 government sites saw their security beefed up even further.
Shedding light on how the ITA and OCERT cells operated to maintain constant vigilance against cyber attackers, Dr Salim Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, CEO of the Information Technology Authority, said there were eight key pillars to ensuring the efficiency of the Sultanate’s digital governance structure, with the laws that governed Oman’s cyber protection being a key part of them.
“The laws, regulations and policies that govern the ICT sector, especially in the provision of e-services and the use of information and communication technologies, are highlighted in the fifth pillar of the eight main pillars, and the efforts made to realise the objectives set in 2017,” he explained.
“With regard to IT infrastructure development, the sixth pillar highlights the main initiatives and projects that facilitate the work of the government entities, such as e-payment, digital certification and the Oman government network.”
“I also thank my colleagues at ITA for their sustained efforts towards achieving this year’s business plan,” added Al Ruzaiqi.
“My thanks also goes to the government entities that worked closely with the ITA and contributed to achieving the e.oman strategy.” Al Ruzaiqi also added that the other pillars that were key to the ITA’s successful governance included community development and empowerment, promotion of e-government services, ICT industry development and entrepreneurship, information security and cyber security, spreading a digital culture, and acknowledging success when it takes place, to further motivate people.
A total of 44,340 cyber security attempted attacks targeting Oman’s cyberspace were discovered and handled, in addition to 2,459 real cyber security incidents that were reported to the ITA.
Some 309 security threat notifications and alerts were sent to OCERT constituents, which carried out seven penetration testing and vulnerability assessments for government entities and other national infrastructure organisations to ensure that all websites were fully secure.
In addition, the ITA handled 172 digital forensics cases using 877 evidence devices such as computers, cell phones, hard drives and USBs to solve cyber-crime cases in the country.
To further promote awareness and readiness of Omani citizens and residents in the face of cyber attacks, the OCERT conducted a host of workshops and seminars, participating in 23 cyber security events, nine of which were dedicated towards online child protection.
Some 18 further sessions were conducted on online child protection awareness, and to ensure top company bosses knew about the dangers of the digital world, four awareness sessions for top management were conducted. Some 44 information security awareness sessions were also conducted for ITA staff.
Six cyber security specialist training courses were organised and attended by 81 specialists from the government and other infrastructure sectors, and 30 awareness sessions for 730 government employees were carried out.
To ensure that Oman was ready for an unforeseen cyber attack, the OCERT also organised the National Cyber Drill, which called for the participation of 17 teams from 34 government entities and other national infrastructure organisations.
The ITA has also recognised the importance of the next generation in keeping Oman safe, and in this context, appointed 67 new cyber security ambassadors from among Oman’s youth, bringing the total number of ambassadors up to 653. In addition, for the first time, a team of OCERT ambassadors participated in the National Cyber Drill.
Two competitions to test the readiness of students were also organised, namely the Oman Cyber Security Competition, which saw the participation of 10 educational institutions and 310 participants, and the Discover Me competition, a 48-hour event that saw the participation of 560 OCERT ambassadors who discovered 54,683 attacks.
These efforts are part of Oman’s national digital strategy, also known as e.oman
“The implementation of the national strategy (e.oman) over the past years witnessed great achievements and efforts in the strategy pillars,” said Dr Ahmed Al Futaisi, Chairman of the ITA and the country’s Minister of Transport and Communication. “The year 2017 saw great milestones achieved and international recognition gained as a result of the continuous efforts made by the ITA and government entities to improve their electronic services. At the level of developing eGovernment services, we have been pleased this year with the launch of 69 government e-services for some government entities, and 54 websites that have been linked to the Oman government network.”
“The Digital Certification Centre has issued more than 2.8 million ID authentication and signing certificates in an effort to facilitate the government procedures and services,” he added. “In the area of information security, the team prevented around 1.5 million cyber-attacks against the government during the year 2017. I would like to thank all the entities and individuals for their support and cooperation in achieving the objectives of the National Strategy, e.oman”
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