KUWAIT: A US cybersecurity expert says preventive measures must be developed to combat increasing rates of cybercrime that poses a real threat to companies and institutions worldwide.
“Prevention is the most efficient and least expensive method, financially and morally, compared to reaction measures after the occurrence of a cybercrime,” Guillermo Christensen, a former US Central Intelligence Agency member and diplomat, told Kuwait’s News Agency in an interview on Friday.
He pointed out that the US is the country most vulnerable to digital crimes of all kinds, due to its large number of access points and computers.
Protecting networks in different countries, especially Kuwait, and supporting its security will positively affect the cybersecurity of the US directly, added Christensen.
During a weeklong visit, the former CIA officer has been presenting lectures and workshops directed at specialists in the field of cybersecurity across various sectors.
He stressed that sharing knowledge and experiences and discussing different cybercrime scenarios will help countries and their institutions avoid crises that may be posed by the penetration of digital space and data.
Cybercrimes are on the increase, as a report issued in 2020 by the US Federal Bureau of Investigations indicates that the number of cyberattacks daily exceeds 2,000 around the world, and that the total material losses over the past year amounted to $4.2 billion, he pointed out.
Christensen referred to a number of documented cyberattacks around the world, through which cybercriminals were able to paralyze the movement of fuel and energy pipelines, in addition to attacks on a number of hospitals, indicating that these attacks caused severe damage in various fields and caused the loss of many lives.
He advised people not to use the same password in different accounts such as email and social media, and to make it more difficult and complex by adding non-sequential numbers in addition to using the two-step verification technology provided by many digital services and programs.
Cybersecurity expert stresses need for measures to combat cybercrime
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Cybersecurity expert stresses need for measures to combat cybercrime
- Prevention most efficient, least expensive method said former CIA member Christensen Guillermo
- The US is the country most vulnerable to digital crimes of all kinds
Two dead in Israeli strikes on Lebanon
- Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite the November 2024 truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah
SIDON, Lebanon: Israeli strikes in south Lebanon killed two people on Wednesday, authorities said, as Israel said it targeted operatives from militant group Hezbollah.
Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite the November 2024 truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, usually saying it is targeting members of the Iran-backed group or its infrastructure.
The health ministry said that an “Israeli enemy strike... on a vehicle in the town of Zahrani in the Sidon district killed one person,” referring to an area far from the Israeli border.
An AFP correspondent saw a charred car on a main road with debris strewn across the area and emergency workers in attendance.
Later, the ministry said another strike targeting a vehicle in the town of Bazuriyeh in the Tyre district killed one person.
Israel said it struck operatives from the militant group in both areas, saying the raids came “in response to Hezbollah’s repeated violations of the ceasefire understandings.”
This month, Lebanon’s army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group, covering the area south of the Litani river, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border.
The strike in Zahrani on Wednesday was north of the Litani.
Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of rearming, has criticized the army’s progress as insufficient, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.
More than 350 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to an AFP tally of health ministry reports.
