Governments worldwide must set up dedicated agencies to address the increasing number of cyber threats, according to a multinational alliance.
The International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (Impact) has called for governments and the private sector to join forces in the fight against cyber attacks.
“[Attacks] are now occurring at an alarming rate,” Impact chairman Mohamed Noor Amin said. “Cyber crime has grown into a huge industry, and we cannot ignore the increasingly negative effects on society.”
Kapersky Lab CEO Eugene Kapersky, a member of Impact’s advisory board, said 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” as other networks.
Countries such as Singapore and South Korea have already taken concrete steps to prepare against the risks of both online crime and cyberterrorism, Amin said. Singapore has formed a new cybersecurity authority, while South Korea plans to train 3,000 cyber sheriffs by 2010.
Malaysian-based Impact has set up a Global Response Center (GRC) to track cyber threats and share critical information with members around the world. 37 ITU member states have signed up to the coalition.