Leading global security company Northrop Grumman will showcase its cyber security expertise at a major summit to be held next month in Abu Dhabi.

The summit comes at a time when the region is witnessing high-profile incidents involving infamous ‘hacktivist’ group Anonymous which has once again emphasised the importance of having rigorous cyber security arrangements in place.

The group had recently hacked into the email accounts of government officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and Jordan. Login details as well as other sensitive data were subsequently leaked on the internet.

Given the increased risks to data security in the Middle East, the timing of the upcoming Cyber Defence Summit in Abu Dhabi could not be more appropriate, said organisers naseba, a leading French business information company.

The forum, to be held from September 20 to 21, features several key regional figures and cyber defence experts.

Northrop Grumman, who have signed up as Gold Sponsors, will play a major role at the Abu Dhabi summit.

The US company has had an active presence in the GCC for more than a decade from its regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The company also opened an office in Saudi capital Riyadh in 2008.

“The cyber threat continues to evolve and events like the Cyber Defense Summit will allow leading industry and critical infrastructure players to design a vision that ensures reliable access to networked-systems from any point on the globe,” explained Colonel (Retired) Carl Williamson, executive director of Cyber Strategy Defense Enterprise Solutions, Northrop Grumman Corporation.

"We’re all in this together. We decided to take part in the summit because our colleagues throughout the Middle East understand, as we do, that cyberspace is not an end in itself, but an opportunity for technology to catalyse innovation for collective growth."

"The only way to achieve that end state is via partnerships where leaders and engineers share security techniques and develop new standards that make networks fast, reliable, secure enough and widely accessible," he noted.

The conference is the first initiative focusing solely on protecting critical infrastructure in the Middle East. It enables C-level cyber security experts from Government authorities – together with the banking, oil and gas, telecoms and utilities sectors - to explore the importance and need for increased vigilance in the GCC.

“Northrup Grumman is a name that is synonymous with security, both in the region and globally. Having their support and participation over the two days will only enhance the collaborative and technologically advanced nature of the summit,” remarked naseba managing director Sales and Marketing, Nic Watson.-TradeArabia News Service