The e-Safe Security Summit, whose main theme this year was determined as “Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Public and Private Sectors 2.0”, brought together sector representatives.
At the opening of the event hosted by the Information Technologies and Communication Authority, Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, spoke about the impacts of technological developments on cybersecurity.
Referring to the rapid increase in internet usage, Sayan stated, “Technology is advancing rapidly and touching every aspect of life. If we express the course of technology over the years with numbers, we can better see the speed of development we have reached. For example, after the invention of radio, it took 38 years, television 13 years, personal computers 16 years to reach 50 million users, while the internet reached 50 million users in just 4 years. Today, not only people but almost everything can be connected to the internet. It is estimated that around 30 billion devices will be connected to the internet in 2025.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: Turkey Performed Well in Cybersecurity During the Pandemic
Touching on Turkey's cybersecurity success during the pandemic period, Sayan said, “During the Covid-19 Pandemic, our country truly did a great job in terms of cybersecurity and became one of the countries that managed this process best worldwide. Whether it was our public services or the continuity of critical infrastructures, no interruptions were allowed. The National Cyber Incident Response Center, established under the BTK which operates on a 7/24 basis, made intense efforts to protect our cyber homeland in collaboration with all stakeholders,” he evaluated.
Noting that cyber attacks are now different, Sayan shared, “We see that cyber attacks are shifting away from individuals and small businesses towards large companies, governments, and critical infrastructures. During the pandemic, malicious actors are exploiting increasing security vulnerabilities in cyber attacks targeting organizations and businesses using remote systems and networks to support personnel working from home; they steal data and cause disruptions.”
Referring to the digital transformation experienced by the whole world, Sayan stated, “The most interesting of these digital transformations is undoubtedly the metaverse. I want to share an interesting detail with you on this topic. According to a research conducted by GARTNER, a company operating in the UK, by 2026, approximately 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the metaverse for work, shopping, education, socializing, or entertainment. Considering that this process will progress cumulatively, it is now an undeniable fact that a new world will quickly engulf us.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: In Cyberspace, You Are Only as Strong as Your Weakest Link
Drawing attention to the work carried out by the Ministry, Sayan said, “With the strategic action plans we have implemented and the actions we have taken, we are carrying out effective studies both in the public and private sectors. We attach special importance to public-private partnerships, and with our vision of being a country that leads technology, we actively participate in international collaborations. However, the successes achieved should not lead us to underestimate the importance of the dangers we face and will increasingly face. Together, we must act with stronger motivation and determination in cybersecurity with the ‘zero trust’ principle. Because, as the classic saying goes, in cyberspace, you are only as strong as your weakest link.”
President Karagözoğlu: Cyber Threats Are Increasing Even More with New Trends
Information Technologies and Communication Authority President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu also spoke about the increasing cyber attacks. Emphasizing that cybersecurity cannot be considered separate from countries' classical security activities today, Karagözoğlu said that the presence of a digital element in almost every action or transaction carried out today further increases the importance of cybersecurity.
Karagözoğlu shared, “It is expected that the global damage caused by cyber attacks will exceed 10 trillion US Dollars in 2025. Although the attackers' motivation is to obtain financial gain, espionage activities, creating chaos, political goals, and retaliatory activities are also among the motivations of cyber attacks. It is predicted that within a few years, the number of network-connected devices worldwide will exceed the world population several times. It is estimated that the number of network-connected sensors today has reached the trillion level.”
Reminding also of the diversifying cyber attacks with the development of technology, Karagözoğlu said, “Important improvements are needed to prevent cybersecurity vulnerabilities and technology piracy risks. For example, when evaluated within the scope of 5G, while some of the existing security concerns originate from the network itself, a significant portion is related to devices connected to 5G. Regardless of the source, this situation makes it mandatory for states, businesses, and individuals to take necessary measures. Participating in standardization efforts conducted by international standardization organizations such as ITU, ENISA, and ETSI is of great importance, and international cooperation emerges as an important factor in the fight against new cybersecurity threats.”
Emphasizing that the cyber threat environment is developing at an incredibly rapid pace with constantly emerging new trends, Karagözoğlu said, “As BTK, in our regulatory and supervisory activities, we pay attention to this issue and encourage our sector stakeholders to use domestic and national resources. Our National Cyber Incident Response Center USOM, established under our Institution, primarily for the protection of our country's critical infrastructures and ensuring our country's cybersecurity, continuously conducts activities such as malicious software analysis, digital log examination, service monitoring, malicious connection detection, penetration testing, alarm generation, warning and announcement publishing. With the Cyber Security Operations Center, whose installation work has been completed under our Institution, it has been ensured that the processes between USOM and operators can be monitored 7/24 uninterruptedly and necessary actions can be taken without losing time when required.” He provided information about the work done.
President Karagözoğlu concluded his speech by announcing that the regulation providing the termination of subscription agreements through BTK Academy and e-government has made it to the finals among the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) projects.