Türkiye has no choice but to be very strong in cyber security: Cyberus

Yury Maksimov, co-founder of international cybersecurity firm Cyberus and founder of Positive Technologies, Russia’s largest cybersecurity company, has emphasized that Türkiye has no choice but to become very strong in cybersecurity.

Speaking to Anadolu (AA) from Cyberdom’s Moscow headquarters, Maksimov explained that Türkiye must be a leader in this field due to its numerous self-sufficient industries and significant progress in digitalization.

Türkiye’s digitalization and security needs

According to Maksimov, Türkiye’s rapid growth in digital industries makes it essential for the country to prioritize cybersecurity.

“I believe that Türkiye has no choice but to be very strong in cybersecurity. Türkiye has a large number of self-sufficient industries and is a significant country in terms of its actions in the field of digitalization,” Maksimov stated.

He further stressed that building an architecture capable of handling the dramatic spread of artificial intelligence (AI) is a critical challenge.

“We need to learn how to build an architecture that will be called ready for the dramatic spread of artificial intelligence,” he added.

Challenges in cybersecurity and digitalization

Maksimov pointed out that developments in cybersecurity have not kept pace with the speed of digitalization.

He noted that the current model of digitalization offers no guarantees of security, underscoring a significant challenge facing humanity.

“The biggest challenge we face as humanity is that we do not have guarantees that we can build security for such a digitalization architecture,” he said.

He emphasized the need to restructure cybersecurity thinking in order to keep up with rapidly advancing digital technologies.

“Digitalization is a world that develops very quickly, and cybersecurity cannot keep up with it. Therefore, our principal task is to restructure cybersecurity thinking and make it capable of catching up with rapid digital or other advancements,” Maksimov said.

Global cooperation needed for cybersecurity

Maksimov also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in developing global cybersecurity architecture.

He explained that security and sovereignty issues are crucial in the context of evolving global cybersecurity needs, and cooperation between countries is essential.

“Everyone around the world is dissatisfied with the level of security and sovereignty provided by the current architecture. Therefore, I believe we are on the verge of significant changes and a different format of global cooperation,” he said.

AI revolution and cybersecurity’s future

Discussing the impact of the artificial intelligence revolution, Maksimov noted that both AI and cybersecurity are being used to attack and defend systems.

He warned that AI could become a powerful tool for both cyber attackers and defenders, and that the future of cybersecurity will be shaped by its ability to adapt to AI developments.

“The fact that AI is becoming a power that is rapidly evolving without our control, and we do not know what will happen in the next 5 to 10 years, is another concern,” he said. Maksimov concluded by emphasizing the need to develop infrastructure that can handle the rise of AI in cybersecurity.

Türkiye’s role in international cybersecurity cooperation

On the potential for collaboration with Türkiye, Maksimov expressed optimism about the future of cybersecurity partnerships.

“At Cyberus, we are working with around 15 companies to develop new cybersecurity architectures in collaboration with other countries. We believe that cooperation between Türkiye and Russia, while respecting each other’s sovereignty, can be highly productive in cybersecurity,” he said.

He noted that while Türkiye and Russia have not yet engaged extensively in cybersecurity cooperation, both countries share an interest in strengthening their defenses and learning from each other’s experiences.