Kuwait, 25 September, 2012: The recent cyber attacks on organizations in the Gulf region were briefly highlighted by Protiviti Member Firm Experts at the 2nd Arabic Information & Communications Security Conference (ACICS) held on September 24-25, 2012 at the Courtyard Mariott, Kuwait.
"The recent cyber attacks, such as those at a regional oil company where 30,000 workstations were impacted and at a local News Agency, have shown that the Middle East is equally prone to serious cyber attacks as other parts of the world" said Protiviti Member Firm's Regional Managing Director, Senthil Kumar while delivering his presentation on 'Cyber Security Attacks - Magnitude and Impact'.
Mr. Kumar further shared with the audiences that the Protiviti IT Security specialists have analyzed numerous cases of cyber attacks and found that even though the level of technical complexity and sophistication is increasing, many of the attacks have exploited the weakest link in the entire system. And the weakest link in any computing environment is the human-being. These incidents emphasize a point that Security Awareness Program and Post-Incident management are equally important besides technical preventive controls.
Mr. Kumar also took the opportunity to introduce Protiviti's new IT Security Services for the Middle East region. Protiviti Member Firm will soon offer SCADA System Security Assessment, Security Operations Centre (SoC) and Cyber Emergency Response Team (CERT) for its clients in Kuwait besides its current IT Security Solutions. "We at Protiviti can act like firefighters who will go to an organization's rescue if and when there is a cyber attack and assist our clients when they require us the most " Senthil said. He further added that Protiviti will have a Hotline which organizations can ring up for instant help. The Member Firm has the expertise and solutions on board to manage these new services.
The conference audiences were equally hooked to Protiviti Expert Simon Padgett's detailed insight into what goes into a fraudster's mind while stitching together a cyber fraud. Sighting the link between fraud and cyber crime; Simon touched upon aspects of types of frauds, characteristics of a fraudster, how businesses are increasingly getting affected by such frauds and ways to safeguard IT security systems with the help of experts like Protiviti. Mr. Padgett leads the Forensic Services for Protiviti Member Firm and specializes in Fraud Risk Management among other Anti-Fraud programs, including Fraud Risk Assessments and Whistle - blowing mechanisms.
Protiviti Member Firm for the Middle East region is the market leader in providing IT Security Services in the GCC region. It has been assisting a number of Banking, Telecom and Oil Sector clients in assessing its IT and Information Security risks and managing them. It is the leading consulting firm and one of the very few in Kuwait that provides Cyber Security Services by assessing all critical infrastructure including Industrial Controls Systems such as SCADA.
Protiviti is a global consulting firm and its member firm for the Middle East provided technology, business & risk consulting, internal audit and transaction services.
About Protiviti Member Firm (Middle East Region)
Protiviti Member Firm for the Middle East Region is a leading provider of internal audit, consulting, risk, technology and transaction services. It is a member firm of Protiviti, Inc. (www.protiviti.com), a global consulting firm that helps companies solve problems in finance, operations, technology, litigation, governance, risk, compliance and internal controls. Through its network of more than 70 offices in over 20 countries, Protiviti has served more than 35% of FORTUNE® 1000 and Global 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. The Middle East Member Firm has a strong presence in the GCC region with offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai (UAE), Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half International Inc. Founded in 1948, Robert Half International is a member of the S&P 500 index.
© Press Release 2012
