What Steps Is Qatar Doing to Combat Cyber Attacks?
The program's initiatives are aimed at boosting the productivity of professionals in the information technology and security domains.
As part of its efforts to combat online crimes, Qatar is presently providing training on cybercrime prevention to around 15,000 members of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
The number of people who signed up for the initiative to combat cybercrime before the eagerly awaited World Cup in November was revealed on Monday by the National Cyber Security Agency, represented by the National Cyber Excellence Department.
For the 2022 World Cup, Morocco will send cybersecurity professionals to Qatar.
The Gulf nation has seen a number of cyberattacks over the past three years, which started to appear before the blockade and have subsequently become more frequent. Hundreds of people have reported online bank theft, impersonation attempts, and extortion despite the Gulf states' reconciliation.
Numerous publications have also stated that these crimes are likely to increase as the football tournament draws near since it might be a golden ticket for spammers and hackers.
In order to control and stop new crimes, authorities have mobilized to increase awareness and train their staff. Other nations have also stepped up to assist Qatar, notably Morocco, which has reportedly committed to sending a team of cybersecurity professionals there before the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Morocco World News reported that Doha has asked Rabat for help in securing the important sporting event as part of its efforts to increase the two nations' security collaboration.
Nationally, the agency stated that it aims to enhance cybersecurity competencies through training and development in order to be prepared to effectively defend against cyberattacks if they occur.
The concept for the training program for the prevention of cybercrime was established after assessing 95 entities in Qatar to ascertain their cyber aptitudes and skills as well as confirm their capacity to fend off cyberattacks.
The initiatives for the training are meant to raise awareness among public employees who do not have information systems training and to boost the productivity of employees and professionals in the disciplines of information technology (IT) and security in Qatar's government institutions.
Additionally, the nation's agency seeks to achieve its goals of upholding and organizing national cyber security as well as promoting and safeguarding the state's vital interests in the face of cyber threats by encouraging a culture of security awareness among its citizens.
More than 15,000 people have benefited from the program thus far, according to Dalal Al Aqeedi, director of the National Cyber Excellence Department, including 591 trainees from school leaders, 10,175 trainees from teachers, and 2,638 trainees from administrators.
According to the official, 12,000 of the 15,000 participants finished the course successfully.