The National Information Technology Services Authority, in cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union, organized a specialized cybersecurity training course for representatives of several ministries and government entities, aiming to enhance the protection of critical infrastructure and raise digital readiness, at its headquarters in the Dimas Tech Complex in the Damascus countryside.
The two-day course focused on the importance of the role of the national team in protecting critical information infrastructure and enhancing cooperation among national entities concerned with cybersecurity. The General Director of the Authority, Shihada al-Ibrahim, emphasized in a statement to SANA on Wednesday the importance of training and international cooperation in the field of cybersecurity, strengthening national capacities, and raising the level of readiness to deal with cyberattacks and protect vital digital infrastructure.
Al-Ibrahim explained that the course, which was attended by 31 trainees, covered building cyber emergency response teams and operations centers using open-source tools, managing digital incidents via TheHive platform, as well as threat intelligence analysis, investigating web server breaches, and how to efficiently restore their operation. The course also included a practical exercise simulating a cyberattack scenario targeting a vital national institution, aimed at testing crisis management capabilities and the speed of decision-making.
For his part, cybersecurity specialist Omar al-Zarai emphasized the importance of the course at both individual and collective levels, due to its practical axes and specialized knowledge that contribute to strengthening national capacities to face cybersecurity challenges. Al-Zarai pointed out that the training was not limited to technical aspects only, but extended to enhancing coordination and cooperation among specialists and relevant entities, thereby supporting the integration of national efforts in confronting cyber threats and developing joint work mechanisms in this field.
Al-Zarai added that enhancing trust in digital services requires raising community awareness, benefiting from specialized expertise, and providing a safe and reliable digital environment that ensures data protection and encourages users to adopt digital products and services. For his part, Sami Armesh, Director of Systems and Infrastructure at a bank, emphasized the importance of the course in strengthening the capabilities of technical cadres and developing communication mechanisms and exchanging information and expertise among banking institutions, which contributes to raising efficiency in dealing with electronic risks and threats and limiting their effects.
Armesh explained that the training course represented an important opportunity to learn about work mechanisms via the national platform concerned with monitoring and tracking security threats, pointing to its role in qualifying technical cadres and enhancing their readiness to deal with recurring security challenges. He emphasized the importance of spreading digital culture and raising awareness of safe usage methods for electronic media, which contributes to protecting individuals and institutions from digital risks and limiting the exploitation of modern technologies to carry out harmful activities or target others.
The National Information Technology Services Authority had announced on August 1 last year that the National Information Security Center thwarted more than 3.6 million cyberattacks during July as part of its continuous efforts to protect digital infrastructure and enhance cybersecurity. The Center also identified and tracked more than 12,500 sources of these attacks.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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