March 16, 2017
BTK President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, speaking at the Cyber Star Awards Ceremony, stated that they are aware of the heavy duty upon them: “This duty is to train, support, position, and integrate our young people in the cyber field in the best possible way.”
BTK President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan attended the Cyber Star Awards Ceremony. The ceremony, held at the BTK headquarters, was attended by Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication Ahmet Arslan, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication Galip Zerey, Turkcell Deputy General Manager Serhat Demir, BTK Board Members Celalettin Dinçer, Figen Kılıç, the winners of the Cyber Star competition, and many representatives from the sector.
At the Cyber Star Awards Ceremony, a poem by Mehmet Akif Ersoy titled "To the Martyrs of Çanakkale," recited by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was featured, reminding attendees of the approaching anniversary of the Çanakkale Victory on March 18, and emphasizing that the spirit of Çanakkale lives on in the cyber realm.
WE MUST BE MUCH BETTER AND STRONGER IN CYBER STRUGGLE TOMORROW
Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication Ahmet Arslan, in his speech at the Cyber Star Awards Ceremony, drew attention to the fact that traditional warfare, terrorist actions, and counter-intelligence activities are now conducted according to the rules of the cyber world, and therefore many countries have established special cyber armies.
Arslan stated that on July 15, the nation demonstrated that it continued with the same spirit from 100 years ago, saying, "Look, FETÖ intervened on July 15, but it was the product of a 40-year insidious plan. You never know when the enemy will appear before you. This struggle will always continue. As long as we exist in such an important and valuable geography, we must be strong. The more powerful we are, the more there will be those who want to compete with us, intervene against us, and weaken us. Without forgetting that, we are better than yesterday, and we must be better tomorrow than today. In combating cyber incidents, we are much better than yesterday, and we must be much better and stronger tomorrow."
THERE IS A NEED FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT IN CYBER SECURITY
BTK President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan noted that our daily lives are increasingly intertwined with the cyber world, making cyber security risks even more critical, and that all these developments necessitate a paradigm shift in cyber security. He listed the following points:
“-Instead of reactive measures, we must develop preventive protection capabilities. Cyber attacks, which are very costly, can be prevented with simple and low-cost measures, just like in preventive medicine.
-In addition to controlling access to systems, a more macro perspective is needed to ensure security: controls at the communication infrastructure and network level.
-Cyber threats do not stay within national borders. Cyber security is a geographically independent and international issue. Bilateral and multilateral cooperation opportunities must be utilized.
-Instead of hiding security vulnerabilities in infrastructure and applications, we must inform users about these vulnerabilities and ensure that inadequate alternatives are not preferred.”
“THEY WILL COME TO THE CYBER FIELD AND LEAVE WITH ANSWERS”
Sayan, noting that after the July 15 terrorist coup attempt, there was an increase in both the number and size of cyber attacks, and that they faced more sophisticated attacks in terms of quality, said, “We repelled these attacks together with USOM and our other stakeholders. This situation actually shows that those who could not bend our arm even in the streets have chosen the cyber world as their new battlefield. However, we know well that 'the defeated wrestler is not satisfied with wrestling.' They will come to the cyber field and leave with answers...”
OUR DOORS ARE OPEN TO EVERYONE PRODUCING SOLUTIONS IN CYBER SECURITY
Emphasizing that cyber security efforts are too dynamic to be addressed only with daily measures and operations, and that both long-term planning and daily operations must be conducted together in this field, Sayan stated, “Within public-private sector cooperation, we must evaluate technology, current threats, and measures together and respond quickly. As the regulatory authority of the communications sector, we (BTK) work most closely with our operators, who are the locomotives of the technology sector. Our doors are open to all stakeholders producing solutions and projects in cyber security. I want to underline that we must maintain the highest level of communication to keep up with the times and even go beyond. If we are strong in the cyber field down to the weakest link, it means we all need to strengthen together.”
THE INTERNET OF THINGS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TOPIC OF THE FUTURE
Sayan stated that the Internet of Things will be at the forefront of the most discussed topics in the coming period, along with big data and artificial intelligence, and said: “Today, the Internet of Things, mostly consisting of devices used by consumers, is one of the topics we focus on the most in many aspects, such as making life easier, guiding industry, and being a cyber threat element. Now, every object is turning into a computer with functions assigned to it. The problem is when it performs functions outside its assigned ones or engages in interactions. Last October in the US, we all saw and experienced devices being incorporated into the Mirai 'botnet' for cyber attacks. This attack significantly impacted the internet worldwide and caused economic and social losses. From this perspective, we need to know that devices like cameras, refrigerators, cars, smart TVs, medical devices—each with computer features—have the potential to be turned into attackers if compromised.
At this point, I want to emphasize to our country's leading and promising experts: our vision cannot be limited to just detecting and closing known vulnerabilities, friends. Our youth need to have confidence in themselves and be bold. In this direction, we must all work together to detect vulnerabilities, gaps, and 'exploits' before others and take necessary measures. Additionally, we must not forget that everything unethical in real life is also valid in the cyber environment. We must act within an 'ethical' framework in the cyber environment in a manner befitting ourselves and our culture.”
CYBER SECURITY IS CONDUCTED UNDER 4 MAIN PROGRAMS
Expressing that in ensuring our country's cyber security, they must conduct activities within specific programs and processes rather than daily precautions, Sayan listed the activities they carry out under 4 main programs as follows:
“1-Capacity Building Program (IT and Training),
2-Fast detection – early intervention program (technological measures),
3-Cyber threat intelligence acquisition and sharing program (cooperation and communication),
4-Protection of critical infrastructure and data.
Cyber capacity building has two components: the first is increasing the number of high-level cyber security experts in our institution at USOM, and the second is developing the human resources of sectoral and institutional Cyber Incident Response Teams (CIRT Teams) in terms of quantity and quality, especially for critical institutions and organizations.”
CYBER STAR “CAPTURE THE FLAG” COMPETITION RECEIVED GREAT INTEREST
Stating that they aim to meet the need for experts by unleashing the potential in our youth with high aptitude for technology, Sayan said, “For this reason, without requiring a graduation condition, we called on patriotic young people who want to support our country's cyber defense in the virtual environment in the fields of technology and cyber security and say 'I am in' to events like training and camps. We received applications at a very high level and intensely in response to this call, exceeding 27 thousand. We received demands not only from Turkey but from citizens all over the world, from virtually 7 to 70. After these applications, we encountered great interest in the Cyber Star 'Capture the Flag' competition we organized.”
FULL SUPPORT FROM BTK TO YOUTH IN CYBER FIELD
“We are now aware of our duty and the heavy responsibility we have taken here,” said Sayan, concluding his remarks as follows: “This duty is to train, support, position, and integrate our young people in the cyber field in the best possible way. In this direction, I am pleased to announce that we have started interviews with our friends who participated in our competition, ranked, and succeeded, and that some of them have already started working. On this occasion, I want to underline that similar competitions will continue and that we are always committed to keeping our youth's interest in cyber security alive.”
At the ceremony, awards were presented to the top 15 groups of the Cyber Star competition winners who said “Yes! I am in” for national defense by Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication Ahmet Arslan, BTK President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, and protocol members. The program concluded with a group photo taken after the award ceremony.