QU Inaugurates Student Branch of Arab Association for Cyber Security

Doha, October 27 (QNA) – Qatar University (QU) announced that it had inaugurated the student branch of the Arab Association for Cyber Security with the objective of promoting the students’ role in the area of cybersecurity systems, discuss the future challenges and explore the solutions to discuss the cooperation mechanisms to establish joint researches and programs concerning this matter.

The Dean of College of Engineering at QU Dr.Khalid Kamal Naji said that the student initiative aims to raise the awareness of the significance of cybersecurity at the individual and corporate levels, especially that the commission of cyber crimes has been previously confined to individuals or small groups, however, such crimes remained more pervasive and complex today with the expansion of the internet, pointing out the launch of this student branch came after QU had announced the launch of the Arab Association for Cyber Security in cooperation with the Federations of Arab Scientific Research Councils in the Arab League to further enhance the joint Arab action in the area of supporting Cybersecurity researches, exploring cooperation mechanisms to establish the researches and joint programs in this field.

For his part, the Secretary General of the Union of Arab Scientific Research Councils Dr. Abdel Majid bin Amara said that the Arab Association for Cyber Security is one of the important associations, because it includes the professionals in the field of Cybersecurity and is interested in co-opting a focal point and establishing cooperation among the Arab scientists and researchers in this field, adding that the launch of the student branch of Arab Association for Cyber Security reflects the enormous evolution in the strategy of the association’s work in leading the scientific research and innovation on the field of cybersecurity and knowledge economy.

For her part, the Founding President of the Arab Association for Cyber Security and Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science at QU Dr. Noora Fetais underlined that the launch of the student branch of the Arab Association for Cyber Security came to enable young people and experts in cybersecurity which is extremely significant and is considered part of national security for any country in the world, adding that world countries have been scrambling not only to optimize the infrastructure of cybersecurity, which remained an integral part of the war tools among the nations, but also a soft power in the field of cyber power which precipitates all people to solidify the elements of cybersecurity and occasionally keep pace with the evolutions, pointing out that the cyber power is an integrated system that requires an independent strategy that copes with all developments, in addition to offering tips to the countries that are incapable of competing in the cybersecurity race.

Dr. Noora Fetais tackled the concept of cyber diplomacy that must be underscored and highlighted in light of the cyber space that precipitates all to establish diplomatic and international cooperation, pointing out that QU is in the process of preparing the cybersecurity and cyber diplomacy course that will be launched in Doha Institute for Graduate Studies for the affiliates of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Director of QU’s Student Activities Department Abdullah Al-Mulla stressed the importance of enhancing this joint Arab cooperation that intends to diffuse the culture of cybersecurity as a field which is of utmost importance that aims to counter and curb the pervasion of cyber crimes and raise the awareness, hoping that the project will be a good initiative for programs that attract the competent students and enable them to spread the societal awareness with respect to cybersecurity. (QNA)