Create strong security in public Wi-Fi systems
dubai — Increasing connectivity across smart cities will pose several cybersecurity risks, especially when it comes to free public Wi-Fi hotspots, experts at the 38th Gitex Technology Week exhibition said.
“There are many considerations when designing a Wi-Fi network or any kind of radio network to ensure that it is secure and there are a number of particular precautions which need to be taken,” said Nick Watson, VP of the EMEA region at Ruckus Networks.
He added: “We need to be careful how we phrase the term ‘public Wi-Fi’ because making it free and then expecting that it should always be free limits the investments that might be made to build it out. Part of the awareness of building out public Wi-Fi is the necessity to secure your end device as you connect and also when you use a virtual private network.”
These are things which are straightforward to a business user, but are often not thought about by the person using it, he said. The user could be completely unaware of the security concerns involved with the technology; which is why operators need to clarify for the user how to be secure when connecting to a public Wi-Fi.
“Users should be aware of simple security tactics such as using an appropriate password,” Watson said. “Users try to do things in a way that is easy, and they end up putting themselves at risk. Security needs to be fool proof or easy enough for the user to administer, otherwise people will simply not use it.”
Mohammad Alyousef, regional sales manager for the Middle East at Netscout Arbor, added that the gaming industry — boosted by the Internet of Things (IoT) and experiential tech — is one of the most vulnerable sectors when it comes to DDOS attacks.
“Anything that has an Internet Protocol camera can be part of an initiated DDoS attack,” he said. “When you try to manage millions of end points, there will be so much more than just PCs or laptops that need to be secured.” launched its vision for 3D printing, Saad was “personally surprised by the level of acceptance”. “Before it seemed like, ‘wow, that’s a huge job’. Today, I think it’s very achievable — and we’re working fast towards that.”
HP has been working with certain partners in the UAE, though Saad declined to divulge more information. But what’s clear is that these partners are “huge”, and that they are all committed to advance this technology.
“By 2030,” he adds, “we would see much more modules for buildings that are 3D-printed.”
Meanwhile, Saad also touched on the hot topic of security: we are all concerned with the security of our devices, but sometimes we tend to overlook the fact that making sure our data is safe.
“In terms of security, a lot of investment has traditionally been done on applications, networks and servers,” he says. “Now, how many times have you been asked, ‘is your printer secure?’ It’s a question less asked compared to servers or computers.”