Turkey to hold international e-security drill in 2014

Turkey plans to hold its first international cyber security exercise in 2014, Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim said yesterday at the opening of the second National Cyber Security Exercise. Turkey  is  one  of  12  NATO states  that  see  the  threat  of  cyber  security  issues  in  the military field, he said. The country is ranked sixth on a list of computers  that  initiate  malicious  soft-ware,  the minister  said,  adding that  it  was  necessary  to  make computer systems safer. They would put some mechanisms in place in order to detect and prevent cyber threats and establish a centre for intervention in cyber incidents, the minister said.  The government has started work to keep the web-sites of state institutions in local data centres, he added. Industry Minister Nihat Ergün said the Institute of Cyber Security under TUBITAK employed 70 personnel and this number would exceed 200 in the near future. He called on universities to review their syllabuses including issues with regard to cyber security. All state institutions should participate in the exercise, Ergin said, adding that 61 of them had attended.