NEWS
Enterprises
learn about
digital solutions
at Smart City
event in Bahrain
Kuwait suffering fewer
attacks on Industrial Control
System computers
E
nterprises in Bahrain had the
opportunity to increase their knowledge
of Smart City initiatives at a conference
sponsored by Batelco.
Dr Sheikh Khalid Bin Daij Al Khalifa, Batelco’s
General Manager Cyber and Corporate
Security, said the third edition of the Bahrain
Smart Cities 2018 Conference provided
participants with access to expertise in the
field of digital solutions and Information
Technology. He added that it also delivered
an opportunity to discuss the future
aspirations of this important sector in the
Kingdom of Bahrain as well as enabling the
exchange of experience and knowledge in
relation to the needs of Smart Cities.
Batelco, Bahrain’s leading digital solutions
provider, was the platinum sponsor of the
event, which took place at the Diplomat
Radisson Blu Hotel.
The support of such events is in line with
the strategic direction of Batelco, especially
in terms of providing digital solutions and
enabling customers and business owners in
this field.
The two-day event was held under the
patronage of the Minister of Works,
Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning,
Eng Essam bin Abdulla Khalaf.
A number of industry experts from leading
organisations gave presentations on the
latest technologies, which are playing a key
role in streamlining the daily operations of
businesses across all sectors in the Kingdom.
K uwait is better off than other
countries in the Middle East when it
comes to suffering attacks on industrial
control system (ICS) computers,
according to a report by Kaspersky Lab. a region’s social welfare, ecology and
macroeconomics. The research found
that within geographical regions, the
figures can vary significantly between
different countries.
More than 40% of all ICS computers
protected by Kaspersky Lab solutions
globally were attacked by malicious
software at least once during the first
half of 2018. Middle East countries
were among the top 20 countries by
percentage for having ICS computers
attacked during the period. For example, the situation in South
Africa is the most favourable compared
to most African countries, Kuwait
was found to be noticeably better off
than other countries in the Middle
East region.
Cyberattacks on industrial computers
are considered to be a dangerous
threat as they cause material losses and
production downtime for whole systems.
Moreover, industrial enterprises knocked
out of service can seriously undermine
www.intelligentcio.com
Statistics collected by Kaspersky Lab
researchers show that this kind of threat
is of growing concern. In the first half
of 2018, 41.2% of ICS computers were
attacked at least once. Moreover, this
is a growing trend: in 2017, the figure
increased from 36.61% in the year’s first
half to 37.75% in the second. n
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