Üsküdar University Postcolonial Studies Application and Research Center (PAMER) held the “Cybersecurity Conference”. Prof. Dr. İsmail Avcıbaş, a faculty member at Üsküdar University’s Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, participated as a speaker at the conference. Avcıbaş emphasized that with the advancement of technology, many threats have emerged; “With the development of technology, new threats have emerged. Unfortunately, privacy no longer exists. Security vulnerabilities are arising. There are some measures that can be taken against these emerging threats. One of these is initiating cybersecurity and awareness training from kindergarten onwards.” he said.
“Technology threatens our personal lives as it develops”
Prof. Dr. İsmail Avcıbaş, referring to the risks as well as the benefits of technology; “In the physical world, we learned how to live in society. Social norms and values are important in this regard. We learn to live together thanks to them. There are those who violate them, but without these, society would be stagnant. Without social norms, human development cannot occur. The most important factor enabling society to live together is trust. If there is no trust, our reputations will also be damaged. As technology develops, it increasingly threatens our personal lives.” he said.
“No common values or borders in the cyber world”
Avcıbaş emphasized that the cyber world is insecure; “In the cyber world, there are no borders, no common values, and they are not shared. Most importantly, there is no law. There are major factors that distinguish it from the physical world. User education and awareness are lacking. And most importantly, there are no physical clues. We cannot precisely determine if there is any real information. All these factors I mentioned create insecurity.” he stated.
“Newly emerging threats are a big problem”
Avcıbaş pointed out that new threats have emerged with the development of technology; “Unfortunately, privacy no longer exists. Security vulnerabilities are arising. We can also add information warfare to these threats. In the future, we will be exposed to the reality of integrity. We will approach everything we see with suspicion. I cannot even imagine what would happen if distrust were to form in a society.” he said.
“Cybersecurity training should be given from kindergarten onwards”
Avcıbaş, referring to what needs to be done against the threats emerging with the development of technology; “One of the most important things to do is to initiate cybersecurity and awareness training from kindergarten onwards. Cybersecurity is a topic that people need to be aware of and conscious about. Experts should be trained in this field. And countries should better protect their citizens. Unfortunately, orchestrating a cyber attack is now child's play. There are always people in society who will be threatened. And the consequences are severe, such as non-consensual sexual acts, national security issues, and fraud.” he said.