OSCE holds expert panel at French Gendarmerie meeting on tackling cyber threats

LILLE, France, 1 April 2010 - An expert panel organized by the OSCE's Action against Terrorism Unit today at the Fourth International Forum on Cybercriminality, in Lille, France, discussed responses, countermeasures and the way forward in securing cyberspace.

Some 1,500 participants from the public and private sector took part in the two-day Forum, organized by the French Gendarmerie.

Mirco Rohr of Kaspersky Labs highlighted the timeliness of the event and the urgent need to secure cyberspace during the OSCE expert panel, held on the second and final day of the Forum. "Information is the raw material of the digital age, and the entire modern economy depends on its availability and security," he said.

Building on previous efforts by the OSCE, the panel focused on a comprehensive approach to cyber security - an approach that strengthens national security; tackles cybercrime; inhibits terrorist use of the Internet; takes into account all possible risks and threats, and enables authorities to protect a wide spectrum of targets, from the individual Internet user to critical infrastructures.

The discussions centered on raising awareness of concrete steps to strengthen cyber-security and related legal frameworks. Participants also looked at how to minimize the impact - including the economic impact - of potential attacks and highlighted defensive measures, including the sharing of lessons learned and relevant best practices.

"Any response limited to only one group or a limited set of targets will be patchy at best," said Raphael Perl, Head on Anti-Terrorism Issues at the Secretariat of the OSCE. "It would fail to recognize the very nature of the Internet - a borderless and virtual space we all share, law-abiding citizens and terrorists and other criminals alike."

The expert panel followed two workshops organized by the OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit in 2009 in Serbia and Croatia on Combating Terrorist Use of the Internet and Comprehensively Enhancing Cyber-security.

"Activities in this thematic area are in line with participating States' current discussions on addressing transnational threats and challenges to security," Perl said.

The OSCE foreign ministers in a decision in December 2009 affirmed their willingness to promote a comprehensive approach to cyber security as part of their work to tackle transnational threats.