AGENDA: How Safe We Are

Cyber warfare…

 

This concept is no longer a concept known only to information technology sector employees. Virtually every day, cyber attacks in visual and written media, web pages seized by unauthorized persons, as well as e-mail accounts, stolen bank account passwords, etc. We watch and read news about the subject. If we strain our memories a little bit, these issues, which were on the agenda of very few people until 5-6 years ago, are now among the topics we talk about a lot in our daily lives.

 

Incredible developments in technology, especially in information technologies, have changed not only the way companies do business, but also the habits of individuals in their daily lives. We can say that we are generally satisfied with this change. Most of us like that we can plan many of our daily activities using technology. When we want to learn about a subject, being able to do so very quickly saves us time. The same positive developments are experienced in the work of institutions and companies. Technology enables us to do our work more effectively and efficiently. In this way, we can offer higher quality to the segments we provide services and products to.

 

All these positive benefits that technology provides us, like two sides of a coin, contain great risks that many of us are not aware of: Problems related to INFORMATION SECURITY.

 

In both our personal and business life, our lives can turn dark the moment we open the file attached to a harmful e-mail. That one click can lock our computer and make it unusable again. Information that is very important for our business, especially if there is no backup, goes out of our hands. While using the wireless internet access provided by our workplace, our smart phone sitting on our desk can suddenly become a gateway for unauthorized access to our company's network due to this connection.

 

The worst part is that there are people who have made it their profession to earn money by using these risks that individuals and institutions carry in the field of information security. Many new “professionals” have emerged, from those who ask for money to make our locked computer work again, to those who infiltrate our bank accounts and transfer our money to their own accounts.

 

On the other hand, information security risks are not only a factor that affects individuals, companies and institutions. At a higher stage, it has become a factor that threatens the existence of the state. This is where the concept of cyber warfare comes into play. Now, interstate conflict, conflict and competition have also been reflected in the field we define as cyber, as it is generally accepted and created by information technologies.

 

All this makes us think about the question that forms the title of the article: HOW SAFE ARE WE?

 

How safe is the information of our every step and habits in our daily life as individuals, our personal information and our bank accounts? Our company's financial, R&D, patent, sales etc. How secure is your information? Unfortunately, most people and companies do not know the answer to this question.

 

We need to be conscious so that we can answer this question at a level that will make us feel comfortable. As individuals, we have to be careful when using technology, just as we pay attention to what we eat and drink for a healthy life. We should pay attention to this when opening e-mails, downloading applications from the Internet, connecting to public wireless networks. We should not forget to back up the information on our computer that we always need. We must change our passwords in a certain order.

 

There are many precautions that companies should take in the field of information security. For this, it is the right step to work with a specialist company and get consultancy and service.

 

In the public sector, we see that serious steps have been taken in our country in recent years. In important sectors, sector authority institutions make regulations and force companies in these sectors to meet information security standards. The same sensitivity is shown for the development of information security standards by public institutions. The National Cyber ??Incidents Response Center (USOM) has been established under the Prime Ministry and necessary studies are carried out for the coordination of both public and private companies in critical sectors. It is obligatory to establish SOME (Cyber ??Incident Response Teams) in companies and public institutions involved in these sectors. All these are positive steps taken for the safety of public institutions and government organizations, which are very important to all of us.

 

The last word will be about the precautions to be taken in our companies in order to be SAFE, and the points to be considered in choosing the right companies from which we will receive consultancy and service.

 

Unfortunately, our information technology sector is still a young sector and our professional criteria are not mature enough. While being selective at this point, it is a work that you DEFINITELY have to do to research the experience of the company we have determined, whether the products it brings to you as a solution are internationally valid, the competence of the human resources to provide the service, and whether this company has ISO27001 Information Security Management System certification.

 

I wish you well-being and SAFE days.

 

 

Bekir Alp SAYIN

General Manager