Anti-hacking seminar: Securing information on cyberspace

IT experts urge organisations to be better equipped to protect websites from hackers.

ISLAMABAD:

Information Technology (IT) experts at a workshop called for greater awareness and adoption of innovative techniques to protect their information and websites from hackers.

The special training workshop was organised by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology (SZABIST) in response to the recent defacement of Supreme Court of Pakistan’s website.

Zubair Khan, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tranchulas, an information security consulting company, expressed concern over the rising trend of website hacking, “particularly by the unemployed, frustrated youth”. He said that that easy and cheap access to internet has certainly benefited the young generation in terms of broadening their vision increasing their knowledge base, but it has also made it easier for them to commit cybercrimes.

Khan said that the trend of hacking websites could harm Pakistan’s national interests at it could lead to leakage of sensitive information and classified documents.

He said that his company, Tranchulas, is working to train budding IT professionals of different universities in Islamabad in anti-hacking methods “to ensure that there is enough human resource to fight off the menace”. The organisation is also working to equip different government and non-government organisations with the ability to protect their information against hackers.

SZABIST Computer Science Coordinator Zubair Ahmad suggested that the best way for an organisation to counter an attack by hackers is that it puts in place such a system that not only guards the cyber security network, but also promptly restores their websites if, and when, attacked.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2011.