Cybersecurity Students on a Scientific Visit to "Iraq Cell": A Real-World Experience in an Advanced Tech Environment and Promising Collaboration Initiatives

Duhaa Fadill Abbas
As part of the Department of Cybersecurity’s commitment to enhancing students’ practical knowledge, the College of Information Technology organized a scientific visit for first-year students to the Innovation and Creativity Center at the headquarters of Iraq Cell Telecommunications in the holy city of Karbala. Iraq Cell is considered one of the leading telecommunications and IT companies in Iraq. The visit aimed to provide students with insight into the company s technological infrastructure and expose them to real-world developments in cybersecurity and software.

The visit was conducted under the direct supervision of the Head of Department, Asst. Prof. Dr. Ahmed Khalafah Obeid, and was accompanied by a group of faculty members: Dr. Moayad Najm, Programmer Shaaker Hamed Shaker, Engineer Duhaa Fadel Abbas, and Programmer Aya Jamal Haidi. Their efforts ensured a high-quality educational experience by allowing students to explore modern technologies and professional practices in the field of cybersecurity.

The program included specialized lectures delivered by the company s expert team, addressing current cybersecurity challenges and presenting advanced in-house software solutions. Among the highlighted tools were the Splunk platform, used for system monitoring and security data analysis, and the unified communications system Wazo. The team also showcased the development of an integrated internal system for managing emails and official correspondences, moving away from paid software solutions, in alignment with the company’s vision toward digital independence and the adoption of open-source solutions to enhance performance and reduce costs.

Particular attention was given to security aspects, with an in-depth explanation of penetration testing mechanisms. The team demonstrated how they resolved common IP address conflicts by unifying the ports for IP back and IP front testing, significantly improving protection levels and the efficiency of security assessments.

The lectures were presented by engineers Mohammed Hussein, Basmal Alaa, Abdul Mahdi, and Ruslan Jaber. In addition to technical discussions, they provided valuable career advice, encouraging students to apply their academic skills in practical, real-world projects.

The visit also included an extensive field tour across the company s departments, where students were introduced to key operational units, particularly the Cybersecurity Unit, Networking Unit, and Infrastructure Unit. Each unit’s role and coordination mechanisms were thoroughly explained.

Students expressed great enthusiasm and benefit from this experience, which brought them closer to actual work environments. Meanwhile, Iraq Cell announced its willingness to establish future cooperation through specialized training programs for the department’s students, aiming to enrich their experience and enhance their practical skills.

This visit is part of a broader series of field activities adopted by the Department of Cybersecurity to develop students’ capabilities, broaden their scientific horizons, and strengthen their connection to the technological job market in Iraq.