Enhanced telecommunication security controls emphasized during GSMA Security Working Group Meeting hosted by du

Asserting its commitment to optimizing telecommunication and customer security, du -in conjunction with GSMA Security Working Group, played host to a distinguished group of ICT professionals in Dubai. The event was sponsored by du, represented by the Technology, Security & Risk Management (TSRM) department in the company. 

The event addressed some of the most pressing concerns concerning the mobile security landscape today and highlighted the need for collaborative and directed efforts in the combat and prevention of security threats and attacks on the telecommunications sector.  

Welcoming telecom operators and key security decision makers from across the globe, Senior Vice President of Technology Security and Risk Management, du, Walid Kamal, stated, “This meeting provides a valuable and rare opportunity for telecom operators; especially those in the Middle East to interact, exchange insights and address key telecom security issues, challenges and concerns.” 

The event covered major risks in operators’ environments ranging from the contemporary “SMS death” to user privacy. Nokia Siemens Network (NSN), who co-sponsored the event with du, highlighted the security controls adapted in their LTE (Long Term Evolution) solutions. Most members at the event vouched that SS7 security was a major common threat to all telecom providers whereas Security Framework of Cloud computing found adequate prominence during the two-day session. 

“Experience and insight exchange; dialogue and interaction are among the key steps to a company’s continued success and development. We are very delighted to have hosted this event, and to have focused on the major issues and trends impacting the industry in the ever-evolving world of technology,” concluded Kamal. 

Other industry topics discussed included, LTE security and concerns, SMS and MMS security, protecting network infrastructure from attacks, mobile user privacy and Wi-Fi offload, and security frameworks for cloud services. Application signing and deployment were also tackled along with SS7 Threat Analysis and detection and blocking commercial spyware. 

The GSMA Security Working Group¹ is the oldest working group since 1989; responsible for the identification and analysis of security risks to which telecom operators are exposed. The group maintains and keeps security algorithms on behalf of the Association and participates in the main international standard bodies such as ETSI and 3GPP.