Cyber security is now an imperative that affects the entire world, senior ITU official Doreen Bogdan-Martin said. She added that building confidence and trust in digital systems is a global issue that requires dialogue and cooperation
International collaboration to secure the networks that we rely on is essential, especially amid the proliferation of new platforms to share and communicate through video, text and voice, a senior UN agency official said on January 29 at the Cybertech Global 2020 conference.
In a speech, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union, said the agency is working with its partners around the world to create a robust and trusted cyberspace for all.
"We know that cyber security is no longer unique to any particular sector or state, it's transnational, it's cross-sectoral, and it's become an imperative that touches the whole of society," the director said.
"The internet of things means embedded digital capabilities are increasingly part of our day-to-day life. Complex industrial environments including critical sectors like energy and health care. They are underpinned by digital industrial control systems. And of course, digitally enabled infrastructures and networks are the foundations of global supply chains. Basic communication systems. Financial markets. Pretty much everything."
"Many of these systems and services were not developed with robust security in mind. And others are sort of a patchwork of legacy systems that really leave vulnerabilities that can easily exploited by bad actors. There are many weak links in our increasingly intertwined digital chains."
According to the ITU official, cyber crime was estimated to cost the world $600 billion in 2019. Between 2018 and 2109, web attacks increased by more than 50%, mobile ransomware by over 30% and supply chain attacks by nearly 80%.
"We devote a lot of work to firefighting the latest security breaches or malware infections. But if we are to make a real difference in making a safer online environment for all, we also need to look at the big picture. And that includes the widespread deployment of advanced 5G services which are now on the horizon, the global proliferation of new platforms to share and communicate through text, voice, video, and that means that international collaboration aimed at securing the networks that we all rely on and safeguarding public trust is absolutely vital."
The ITU, a UN specialized agency dedicated to information and communication technologies, has a membership of 193 countries and over 900 industry players, from UNODC, to Interpol, to the World Bank, to the private sector and many others. It strongly advocates technology as a driver of global development but it is very aware of the risks and challenges from the increasing reliance on cyberspace, she said.
"For more than a decade we have been helping our member states to define good practice in national cyber security strategies. We regularly conduct cyber security training. We do cyber security drills. We have our child online protection program where we have guidelines for parents, educators, ministries and the private sector. And we also help countries to establish computer incident response teams."
"Building trust and confidence in digital systems will be essential to bringing the transformational potential of information and communication technologies to the billions of underserved people in the world's poorest nations. Digital technologies represent the most powerful tool that humanity has ever had to build a fairer, more equitable world,"
Bogdan-Martin made history as the first woman to serve as a top ITU elected official.
