Cyber threats decline in Azerbaijan

/By AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

The number of cyber threats has reduced in Azerbaijan, as the number of cyber security-related requests from state structures of Azerbaijan dropped to 104 in August, the Cyber Security Center reports.

Requests in the last month decreased by 27.2 percent compared to July 2014. In August, 85.5 percent of the total number of requests were reviewed and approved.

The total number of computer security requests amounted to 1,122 from the period of January to August.

About 87.6 percent of these had been reviewed and approved in the first eight months.

Based on the audit on information security companies in Azerbaijan, 200 reports were prepared and sent to the relevant bodies in the January-August period.

Currently, the internet penetration rate in Azerbaijan stands at 70 percent. The broadband Internet penetration among the population stands at 50 percent.

Azerbaijan, which is now boosting its ICT sphere, understands that cyber security provisions are a must for every country, and is ready to accept international experience on this matter.

Earlier, Israel expressed its availability to share its cyber security experience with Azerbaijan. Israel created an organization called Tehila to combat cyber threats in 1997, and formed the National Information Security Management in 2002.

Azerbaijan aims to strengthen cyber security in the fast-growing ICT sector of the country, which faces with some ninety percent of cyber attacks from abroad.

The country receives many cyber attacks as a result of its ongoing cyber war with Armenia, which is another front for the longstanding conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh territory under Armenian occupation for over 20 years.

The country combats cyber crime on two levels. The first level concerns legal issues, which involves the Justice Ministry, prosecution agencies and other structures, while the second level is technological, which includes operators, and companies providing cyber services that use detection systems and improve cyber security.