Tribune News Network
Doha
The National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) is organising the tenth edition of the National Cyber Drill under the title ‘Secure Your Data’ from November 20 to 29 with the participation of around 170 entities.
The National Cyber Drill with its core exercises aim to identify the cyber security maturity level of entities and measure their readiness to protect their critical assets from cyber threats, as well as address any weaknesses in their cyber security landscape through two main aspects: educational and awareness-building and in accordance with the three pillars of cybersecurity: individuals, technology, and operations.
In this regard, Khaled Al Hashimi, director of National Cyber Enablement and Excellence Affairs at the NCSA, said that “this year’s edition entitled ‘Secure your Data’ is unique as it consists of two separate scenarios one for the management team and one for the technical team which will help assess the cybersecurity capabilities of entities from both management and technical perspectives”.
Al-Hashimi emphasised that the National Cyber Drill aims to test the readiness of vital entities in dealing with cyber incidents and how well they are able to respond to them to prevent data leakage or damage to the entity’s information.
He emphasised that conducting the annual cyber drill reflects the National Cyber Security Agency’s commitment to supporting and enhancing the capabilities of vital entities in the State of Qatar to sharpen their cyber efficiency and fortify them against cyber threats.
For his part, Mohammed Al-Mannai, director of National Cyber Programme Delivery Department at the National Cyber Security Agency, confirmed that the National Cyber Drill in its core exercises aim at identifying gaps, as well as assessing the effectiveness of response and recovery strategies to minimize any impact on society, economy, and national cyber stability.
He added that the National Cyber Drill is part of the National Cyber Security Agency’s efforts to raise awareness among participating organisations on this year’s topic, which is data security. It also aims to augment their compliance with laws and regulations that protect data privacy and classification, and ensure proper implementation.
Al Mannai emphasised the importance of the National Cyber Drill on several aspects, including ensuring the ability of participating entities to protect their assets from cyber threats and assessing the effectiveness of their measures in countering such threats.
This year’s drill will contribute to comprehend the management and technical weaknesses of the participating entities which will enable the National Cyber Security Agency to propose future initiatives to address such weaknesses.
