The public sector’s vulnerability to a cyberattack

In Lebanon, the speed at which the government is moving and the speed at which cyberthreats are developing are totally different. Cyberdefense planning, it appears, is not much of a priority for the Lebanese government. The country does not have legislation to protect digital rights, lacks legal penalties to deter criminal cyberattacks and has only patchwork solutions in place for cyberdefense. In simple terms, plans to beef up the government’s cybersecurity capabilities are moving forward at a snail’s pace. Cybersecurity firms point to an uptick in attacks on Lebanon when compared to global averages. Due to the state’s slow moving apparatuses and the high cost of investment, the best cyberdefense solution for Lebanon to protect its public sector, its private sector and online individuals, may be to migrate to the cloud – a debate which is still ongoing. Executive met with Ihab Chaaban, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) security officer