DESC hosts virtual workshop to outline Dubai Cyber Security Index

His Highness Sheik Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, recently launched the DCI to support the overall performance of electronics and cybersecurity in government organisations within Dubai.

The workshop was held as part of DESC’s strategic plan to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the smartest, happiest, and safest city in cyberspace.

The initiative was implemented as part of His Highness the Crown Prince of Dubai’s framework, who emphasised in a recent meeting that protecting electronic and digital borders is no less important than protecting land and sea borders.

He also added that addressing the challenges of cyber and electronic security is a shared responsibility to provide a high level of protection from cyber threats to individuals and society, as it is important to consolidate and synergise the efforts of different stakeholders.

During the workshop, participants learned about the mechanism behind the index, which is the first of its kind in the world and connects government entities’ systems and networks in Dubai to DESC’s security operations centre. This allows the authorities to address the threats by regularly sharing actionable safety advisories with them.

One of the major objectives of the index is to enhance the readiness of government entities in dealing with various cyber threat scenarios. It enhances their cybersecurity systems by utilising advanced artificial intelligence technologies and big data analysis to anticipate potential cyber threats.

Operated and supervised by specialised UAE national analysts at DESC, the index measures government entities performance in several areas, including rapid response to security alerts, some incidents resolved, and amount of data associated with the security operations centre.