An Iranian tech official called on civilians and the private sector to collaborate with the state in establishing cybersecurity.
Abolhassan Firouzabadi, the head of Iran’s High Council of Cyberspace, said to secure cyberspace in the big data arena, the government and the private sector should work in coordination, Mehr News Agency reported on Sept. 7.
Attending the 13th International Conference on Iran’s Society of Cryptology, the official said the state on its own is not capable of navigating such a complex and onerous issue like cybersecurity and securing the Internet.
“In the day-to-day life, people do not rely solely on the state to protect their property. They take it on themselves to put some measures in place and the private sector also assists them,” he said.
“But when the issue of cybersecurity comes up, they only hold the government responsible.”
According to Firouzabadi, given the seriousness of these attacks on Iran’s global economy and national security, part of the solution is to put legislation and executive orders in place and create government agencies, but these would not be sufficient.
The official noted that Iran’s feeble cybersecurity situation and the private sector’s role in tackling cybersecurity challenges should expand.
HCC is the main national body in charge of devising general policies in this area, though the Majlis can also pass laws and regulations to establish legal entities for ensuring cybersecurity.
Firouzabadi noted that safeguarding cyberspace for the use of citizens is of utmost importance and tops HCC’s agenda.
“Our organization will convince the Majlis to dedicate 15% of national budget for ICT to realize this goal,” he said.
According to the official, academies for training specialized workforce in cybersecurity are to be founded in the not-too-distant future.
