Excellencies, Ministers,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to chair this last session of the first day
of the High Level Segment.
From its origins as a dedicated defence research network, the
Internet has transformed modern lifestyles with its promise of open,
real-time communications and limitless information.
We have come to rely on the smooth and secure operation of networks
in our online activities at work, at home and as consumers.
And yet, at the same time, the rapid growth of ICT networks has also
opened up new opportunities for criminals to exploit online
vulnerabilities and attack countries' critical infrastructure.
Confidence and security in using ICTs are vital for building an
inclusive, secure and global Information Society. But increasingly
sophisticated, well organized cybercriminals are seriously undermining
the future growth and potential of the online environment.
Cybercrime is a persistent international evil that transcends
national boundaries in a manner that renders this form of organized
crime a global concern.
Spam and malware have evolved to perpetrate online financial fraud,
identity or trade-secret theft, among other risks. Taking into account
newer threats to critical infrastructure in the financial, health,
energy, transportation, telecommunication, defence and other sectors,
the impact of cyberthreats is becoming ever greater.
As the risks constantly evolve in line with technologies,
cybercriminals are already exploiting vulnerabilities and loopholes in
national and regional legislation. With the spread of criminal and
organized networks over different countries, criminals can launch
cyberattacks, often using a decentralized model, which make it difficult
for any single national or regional legal framework to deal adequately
with this problem.
ITU is working hard to address the emerging challenges associated
with the information society. For example, ITU's standardization work
directly addresses security vulnerabilities in networks and transmission
capabilities.
Pioneering work in public key encryption technology underpins the
identity authentication systems essential to the online exchange of
privileged data. By specifying standard formats for public key
certificates, along with a robust certification path validation
algorithm, Recommendation ITU-T X.509 has become the default industry
benchmark for PKI certificates. Building on this, in 2007 ITU-T's Focus
Group on Identity Management launched a Global Standards Initiative
designed to develop a global IdM framework assuring global
interoperability.
Cybercrime is global. Countries cannot easily close their borders to
incoming cyberthreats. Time and geography, as well as the location of
victims, are no longer barriers to where and when these attacks are
launched. Legal and technical measures at an international level are
necessary to address these global threats.
Let me now start by introducing the four distinguished speakers of
this session:
1. H.E. Mr. David A. Gross, Ambassador, Department of State, United
States of America
2. H.E. Mr. Muhammad Nuh, Minister of Communication and Information
Technology, Republic of Indonesia
3. H.E. Mr. Samuel Lesuron Poghisio, MP, Minister of Information and
Communications, Republic of Kenya
4. Dr. Marianne Treschow, Director General, Swedish Post and Telecom
Agency, Sweden |