National Cybersecurity Agencies Most Effective Against Cyber Attacks: IMPACT Chairman

PRESS RELEASE

Singapore, October 13, 2009: International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT) today called for governments around the world to set up dedicated agencies to address the growing dangers of cyber threats. The adoption of this approach by both developed and developing countries is the most targeted and therefore likely to be the most effective in combating cyber attacks that threaten the well-being of a country's information and communications technology infrastructure, IMPACT Chairman Mohamed Noor Amin said.

A number of countries have recently taken concrete steps in preparing themselves against the heightened risk of a direct attack on their networks. Singapore announced the formation of a new cybersecurity authority, the Singapore Infocomm Technology Security Authority (SITSA) which will be responsible for safeguarding the country's infocomm technology assets under the aegis of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The United Kingdom set up the Centre for Secure Information Security (CSIT) to keep crime off the Internet and combat anti-social behaviour.

In addition, Abu Dhabi and South Korea are two countries in the process of kicking off similar initiatives, with news of the South Korean government's plans to train 3,000 cyber sheriffs by 2010 to protect businesses after recent attacks on state and private websites; while the United States is expected to hire up to 1,000 cybersecurity experts to ramp up the nation's defences.

"Countries with cybersecurity agencies have the advantage of having experts under one roof to ensure the speedy execution of plans to counter cyber threats as these are now occurring at an alarming rate. Cyber crime itself has grown into a huge industry and we cannot ignore the increasingly negative effects on society," Amin added. "The formation of dedicated agencies magnifies the role IMPACT plays as a facilitator in bringing partner countries together to share information and increase cooperation in their defence against cyber attacks."

Eugene Kaspersky, CEO, Kaspersky Lab and Member of IMPACT's International Advisory Board also shared his view of the evolving landscape. "Traditional public networks like transportation and telecommunications have defined ownership in every nation and the authority to deal with the regulations to protect these networks against abuses," said Kaspersky. "However, governments are only now starting to treat the Internet as an independent network that requires the same level of regulation and authority to deal with potential threats."

Kaspersky Lab works closely with IMPACT to share information and expertise with partner countries to increase their defence against cyber threats and attacks. Kaspersky Lab and other major cybersecurity players provide IMPACT's state-of-the-art Global Response Centre (GRC), the international community's foremost cyber threat resource to track and defend against cyber threats, with live data to enable real-time analysis, aggregation and dissemination of global cyber threat information.

"One of the ways to combat cyber crime is to get governments and the private sector to work together and IMPACT has done a great job with this, which is a huge leap forward in the war against cyber threats," Kaspersky added.

In addition to the GRC, IMPACT offers training and skills development to partner countries with the aim of closing the skills gap in the industry and to equip professionals with the ability to forecast, plan, and respond to cyber threats. The Centre for Security Assurance & Research also enables countries to rank preparedness on its Government Security Scorecard. IMPACT's Centre for Policy & International Cooperation provides advisory services to partner countries on policy and regulation. To date, IMPACT has 37 partner countries utilising some or all of these services.

About IMPACT

The International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT) is the first comprehensive global alliance addressing cyber threats. IMPACT is strategically positioned as a politically neutral platform, bringing together governments, academia and industry experts to enhance the global community's capabilities in preventing, defending against, and responding to cyber threats. IMPACT provides a forum for all partner countries to collectively play a leadership role in the interest of national cybersecurity. Located in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, IMPACT's Global HQ is the physical and operational home of ITU's Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA). This landmark collaboration gives ITU's 191 member states access to IMPACT's expertise, facilities and resources, enabling them to effectively address the world's most serious cyber threats. For more information, please refer to www.impact-alliance.org

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