KABUL - The Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology on Saturday said the government IT systems were insecure, but a policy to prevent cyber attacks was being introduced in the near future.

The first-ever "National Policy on Cyber Security" aimed at protecting government information is being evolved within next three months, a ministry official, Zmaryalai Wafa, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

He called the policy as crucial because it would prevent neighboring countries from accessing secret government information.

He hoped the policy would enable the government to act against hackers, admitting government's information was not secure from cyber attacks. "We have to draft guidelines and a security procedure to help protect our information and not easily be accessed from outside,'' he suggested.

Several government websites, including National Security Council (NSC)'s website, are recently hacked and the government has been unable to take any action.

To highlight the issue of cyber security, the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology in cooperation with the US Department of Commerce launched a four-day workshop in Kabul.

Officials from various ministries attended the first day of the workshop. "The creation of a policy on cyber security is the theme of this workshop, where participants are discussing how to analyze and prevent cyber threat,'' Wafa said.

He said 50 percent of government information had been computerized to help prevent a possible leakage.

Telecommunication & Information Technology Minister Eng. Amirzai Sangin said Afghanistan was marching towards electronic governance, where the protection of electronic systems needed more attention.

He acknowledged the government was unable to handle threats emerging from misuse of technology, saying secure IT systems had a key impact on national security and economy.

The minister also talked about what he said unprecedented progress in areas of telecommunications and information technology. (Pajhwok)