January 6, 2016
Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Binali Yıldırım, regarding the recent cyber attacks targeting Turkey, said, "We experienced 236 major attacks. BTK immediately took action. Against these DDOS attacks, we increased our capacity."
Yıldırım held a press conference on ministry activities. The press conference was also attended by Deputy Minister of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications Yüksel Coşkunyürek and Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, President of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK).
In response to a question about the fine imposed by BTK on Twitter, Yıldırım stated that everyone must comply with Turkish laws, saying, "The main point is not to shut down, punish, or prevent broadcasting, but to ensure operations within the laws. For this reason, we introduced a new practice. BTK has started imposing monetary fines for laws that cannot be enforced. A fine of 150,000 liras was issued to Twitter and sent to its headquarters in the United States. The 30-day notification period has now expired. We will take whatever steps are necessary based on future developments. Giving up is not an option; everyone providing services and doing business in Turkey must comply with the laws. This is not a privilege for us; it applies to every country."
BTK took the necessary action
Minister Yıldırım stated that the domestic usage rate in 4.5G will be increased gradually.
In response to a question about cyber attacks, Yıldırım expressed that cyber attacks are not daily events but continuously occurring incidents, saying, "It started on December 14 and continued mainly until December 24. We experienced 236 major attacks. There are earthquakes that go unfelt. Unfortunately, there is also a major earthquake with severe consequences. BTK immediately sprang into action. Against these DDOS attacks, we pursued capacity increases. We established USOM and SOME units. Full-fledged operation of SOME units in the anticipated 367 institutions. Unfortunately, we cannot say this is the case at the moment. In the upcoming period, we aim to strengthen the USOM-SOME network and enable institutions to take necessary measures 7/24 against such attacks. This is not a one-time job to be completed; it is an ongoing process. It needs to be viewed as part of everyday life. New actions will take place until 2018. Our ministry is convening the Cybersecurity Board in the last week of January. In this board, we will discuss and decide on new measures and a new action plan."
Yıldırım noted that there was no data loss in these cyber attacks, but there were delays in access.
"Speed is a disaster in transportation, a boon in informatics"
In response to a question about whether the internet would become cheaper with Türksat 4B, Yıldırım stated that internet usage in Turkey is cheaper compared to other countries. Expressing that further reductions in internet prices depend on faster access, Yıldırım said they had declared 2016 and the coming years as years of mobilization for the development of fiber networks.
Highlighting the importance of expanding informatics networks, Yıldırım said, "We have invested sufficiently in divided highways; in the coming years, we will implement a special strategy for expanding smart roads. There were issues with municipalities and various administrations on this matter. We will resolve these issues. If we cannot expand informatics networks, the biggest threat awaiting us in the coming years is reduced speed. A decrease in speed in informatics is highly undesirable. Speed in transportation is a disaster; speed in informatics is a boon," he stated.
