Azerbaijan successfully implements measures to ensure cybersecurity

By Ayya Lmahamad

The recent global events have brought the threat of cyberattacks on individuals, businesses, and nations into sharp focus. As more of our lives have moved online, scammers, hackers, and fraudsters got an opportunity to strike. Cyberattacks are now the fastest-growing crime globally. The frequency of cyberattacks in the world has increased by almost four times. If earlier, network threats were recorded every 40 seconds, now every 11 seconds.

In this regard, more and more nations now are focusing on implementing measures to ensure the countries’ cybersecurity. It is needed to clarify here that cybersecurity is the practice of protecting critical systems and sensitive information from digital attacks.

Azerbaijan, like almost any country in the world, is also exposed to significant risks due to increasing global cyber threats. Over recent years, the country has created special services and taken relevant measures to reduce such risks, prevent cyberattacks and protect computers of the most important civil, defense, and industrial systems.

In the first four months of the year, the number of requests in Azerbaijan related to computer security amounted to 1.8 million, of which 96.9 percent were reviewed and satisfied. In addition, the number of unique cyber incidents in the Azerbaijani segment of the Internet decreased by 20.3 percent last year compared to 2020.

Center for Combating Computer Incidents (CERT)

In this regard, the Center for Combating Computer Incidents (CERT) was created at the State Agency for Special Communications and Information Security. Nowadays, this structure is an effective mechanism for identifying and preventing threats to web resources and the internet space as a whole.

The agency head, Tural Mammadov, recently stated that the main types of cyberattacks that have been identified in Azerbaijan over the past year are phishing attacks, social engineering, and website cloning.

He also added that CERT launched a cybersecurity knowledge testing system - kibergigiyena.az in order to improve cyber hygiene.

Global Cybersecurity Index

The country continuously takes measures to prevent cyber threats and threats related to information security. In 2021, Azerbaijan ranked 40th among 194 countries in the Global Cybersecurity Index.

In this context, Azerbaijan has a goal of becoming one of the leading regional and world countries in the information security sphere.

Strategy on cybersecurity

Azerbaijan has developed a strategy for cybersecurity, which covers the years from 2019 to 2022. The strategy was developed based on the need to increase the level of national cybersecurity in Azerbaijan and reduce threats to information systems. It is planned to adopt a new strategy for the development of the Azerbaijani cybersecurity sector from 2022 to 2027.

The cybersecurity sector has been included in Azerbaijan’s development strategy until 2030.

Association of Cybersecurity Organizations of Azerbaijan (AKTA)

In April this year, a new public association has been created in the country - the Association of Cybersecurity Organizations of Azerbaijan.

The association will unite companies, organizations, and specialists operating in the field of IT and cybersecurity in the country on a single platform. The main objectives of the association are to coordinate measures to strengthen and ensure the cybersecurity environment in Azerbaijan and support the development of this field in the country.

The association will support the application of scientific and technical achievements in the field of cyber security, awareness, and information in this area, protect national interests from propaganda and disinformation activities, make relevant proposals in this fight, and coordinate the work done.

Baku Cybersecurity Forum

Baku Cybersecurity Forum will be held in Baku on June 23, 2022. The forum will be held with the support of distributor BAKOTECH, and cybersecurity solutions manufacturer Palo Alto Networks at the JW Marriott Absheron Baku Hotel.

During the forum, industry experts will analyze the modern challenges of corporate cybersecurity and the possibility of building a reliable protection system using a single platform.

Key topics of this year’s forum include constant changes in IT infrastructure, lack of staff, and other challenges and how to cope with them; is it possible to build endpoint protection, network, and cloud infrastructure based on a single platform; and efficient solutions for protecting infrastructure and data.

Taking into account all the measures already taken it is possible to say now that Azerbaijan successfully ensures the country’s cybersecurity.