The Minister of Information and Communications Technology Seyed Sattar Hashemi has instructed the ICT Ministry’s Research Institute to work with relevant organizations to facilitate the establishment of a specialized cybersecurity reference laboratory and the validation of equipment and services used in the network.
He made the remarks in a meeting of
the Steering Committee of National Information Network on Sunday, saying “Security
is one of the fundamental components of the network, and various aspects of its
security should be addressed as the country develops.”
“During the current
administration, a special mission has been assigned to the ICT Ministry’s Research
Institute to oversee the security of the National Information Network, so that
this area can be managed through a clearly defined framework and address one of
the country’s essential needs.”
He also termed the establishment
of a specialized security reference laboratory as one of the institute’s
missions.
Hashemi emphasized the need to
address security at different layers of the National Information Network,
stating that the validation of the network’s equipment and services, based on
the plan presented by the ICT Research Institute, will cover everything from infrastructure
layers to service layers.
Security an Ongoing Process
Referring to the weekly
monitoring of security indicators across organizations affiliated with the ICT Ministry,
he said that continuous monitoring of these indicators within the ministry
could facilitate the transfer of this experience and encourage greater
attention to security among other organizations.
“Security of equipment and
services is an ongoing process requiring continuous improvement,” he added, “One
of the challenges in assessing the progress of the National Information Network
is determining a fixed upper limit for security.”
“Security plans and scenarios are
continuously updated, and therefore no final limit can be defined for this
component.”
Hashemi instructed the ICT
Research Institute to take an active leadership role in network security,
stating “Experience has shown that if the ICT Ministry does not take the lead
in this area, no significant progress will be made.”
Emphasizing the need for a clear
division of tasks in the security of the National Information Network, he
continued “One organization must take the lead, while other organizations
should be involved in the process
through a collaborative approach, so that the country’s existing capabilities
can be utilized to the fullest extent.”
The minister urged other
ministries and government organizations to become involved in the security of
the National Information Network.
“There must be a clear timetable
in this area so that it is known what achievements are expected, and within
what timeframe, in the areas of security and validation of the National
Information Network.”
He concluded by describing as important
the security reference laboratory and identified the use of private-sector
capabilities as one of the priorities of the government and the ICT Ministry.