Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13
By Huseyn Valiyev - Trend:
The Azerbaijani Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) will filter internet traffic coming into the country in order to protect the entire AzNET perimeter from malicious attacks and intruders, CERT employee Tural Mammadov told Trend on Dec. 11.
It should be noted that CERT operates under the Special Communication and Information Security State Agency of the Special State Protection Service of Azerbaijan.
Mammadov said the main task is to ensure information security of not only government agencies, but also ordinary users. Work to ensure this is planned to start in 2014.
"The matter rests in the protection of the entire perimeter of the Azerbaijani internet segment by means of filtering incoming internet traffic to the country. A new technology will allow us to detect voids and signatures of malicious threats," Mammadov said.
He went on to say there have always been attacks and threats on the internet and they are constantly increasing which is typical not only for the AzNET network.
CERT uses the most advanced technology solutions, including special software developed by its programmers in order to combat negative phenomena on the global network.
"The vast majority of attacks are carried out on important dates marked on the Azerbaijani calendar. These can be both holidays and days when the country is mourning. On these days we raise our work level to a more enhanced state to avoid disruptions in government structure's resources," Mammadov said.
CERT regularly holds audits for detection of vulnerability in Azerbaijani state institution's networks, according to Mammadov. It officially sends a notification to the state structures in the case of identifying voids and errors and afterwards the team's specialists hold another audit to check whether the vulnerability was eliminated or not.
Aside from that, the CERT experts analyse the state departments' equipment for detection of the presence of the so called 'backdoor' attacks designed for hidden remote control of information systems by hackers.
"The equipment of state institutions are thoroughly checked and tested in a special laboratory. State institutions need o notify us prior to purchasing high-tech equipment so we can check them in the laboratory," Mammadov said.
No incident related to intrusion of the state agencies' networks was recorded over the past year, according to him.
But Mammadov said that other online resources placed on the national domain are more vulnerable and are often subject to hacker attacks.
Translated by E.A.
Edited by S.M.