CSE CONNECT

33 / 48

32
DANA YOUSIF AL-ABDULLA
Cyber Security Resiliency Section Head at Q-CERT
MS in Strategic Business Unit Management
EMAIL:
Tell me a little bit about yourself (i.e. name, year of graduation, age, specialty, place of empowerment…etc.)
My name is Dana Al-Abdulla. I am the Cyber Security Resiliency Section head at Q-CERT (Qatar Computer Emergency Response
Team). I graduated from Qatar University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, and later pursued my master’s
degree from HEC Paris in Strategic Business Unit Management. I also earned several professional certifications such as the GIAC
Security Leadership certificate (GSLC), and the Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional certificate (GICSP).
I have been working in cybersecurity from the very beginning of my career, which gave me the opportunity to develop expertise in
different cybersecurity fields such as incident handling, vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, governance, policy, and
compliance..
Tell us more about your job
I work with the Qatar Computer Emergency Response Team (Q-CERT), which operates as a department in the Ministry of
Transport and Communication. I am delighted to be one of the founders of Qatar CERT and have been a member since its
establishment, with the goal of working to improve the cybersecurity posture in different sectors and organizations in Qatar. Q-
CERT was one of the earliest CERTs in the region and we strive to leverage Qatar readiness of cyber-attacks by working in many
different aspects of security.
Why did you select this specialization?
When I was a student, I unknowingly downloaded a computer infection by installing a Trojan, which I had assumed to be an anti-
virus. As a result, I had to format my computer. Since this incident, I started reading about cybersecurity and was eager to learn
more about this field. Later on, during my study at QU, I chose cybersecurity related-topics for any project that allows the choice
of any technology-related topic. For my senior project, we understood the importance of adding security layers to our project design
and I took the lead in this, which gave me a lot of firsthand experience.
After spending many years in this field, I still feel the same passion for cybersecurity as I did then. I believe in the importance of
this field and thus, I feel the responsibility to improve the cybersecurity posture of the State of Qatar.
Did this specialization help you in finding a job easy?
Yes, it did. I did not have an issue in finding a job after my graduation because computer engineering specialists are highly needed
in most organizations in Qatar. I had many job opportunities and after graduation, I chose cybersecurity as my career focus.
Do you think the Qatari work market needs more CSE graduates?