Cassidian CyberSecurity and Netasq used their press briefing at the Cyber Defense Summit in Oman (4-5 March 2013) to highlight the real dangers posed to organizations and infrastructure in the Middle East region by APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats) and outline a 7 Step Approach, combining expertise, processes and new tools to combat these threats.

Guy Meguer, General Manager Middle East, said: “APTs are targeted attacks, designed specifically to steal secrets or intellectual properties of specific organizations. They are more sophisticated than generic viruses, as they are planned thoroughly by a skilled team of attackers who install malware into internal systems and then maintain a long-term presence in order to exfiltrate as much information as possible. These threats are now so advanced that they can continue over a year without being discovered. Once they are, an understandable feeling of panic can set in."

As organizations need a trusted partner with the expertise to manage and execute a comprehensive response plan, Cassidian CyberSecurity has developed a 7 Step Approach, combining expertise, processes and tools, which have never been used before, to successfully combat APTs – raising awareness, initial check, deeper analysis, cleaning, reconnection, recovery and remote supervision.

François Lavaste CEO Netasq said: “We offer a full range of all-in-one network traffic filtering solutions for companies which want to have a proactive approach with regards to APTs. Our unique Intrusion Prevention System gives protection from unknown threats – the so-called zero-day attacks, where vulnerabilities are exploited days, or even weeks, before detection signatures have been released and propagated to the security devices.”

“As the Middle East region continues to develop and grow, public and private organizations that are driving this growth will be subjected to increased and more sophisticated threats from cyber spies. It is vital that we ensure they are adequately protected against these threats, which is where Cassidian CyberSecurity and Netasq can help them,” Lavaste added.