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In cybersecurity, people are the weakest link. People are the
users - they develop the systems, they elaborate the policies
and they put in place the strategies to protect transactions.
Capacity-building and a high level of user awareness is thus one
of the key challenges we face today.
Similar to any user of modern infrastructure such as roads,
children surfing in a cybercafé need a basic awareness of how to
benefit from ICTs safely, whilst avoiding some of the dangers.
They need to be aware of the dangers associated with not knowing
whom they are dealing with. They need to be aware of the risks
of revealing personal information (including their name,
telephone number and address) to cyberhawks, who may pretend to
be children and lure them towards a physical meeting.
Governments have to draw up policies to meet their national
objectives and commitments for national security purposes.
Policy-makers and regulators need to be aware of the dangers
related to the modification of sensitive medical data or
unauthorized access to such systems. Legislators must have a
basic knowledge of how legal instruments map to existing
technological solutions in place.
With the important role that ICTs play today in providing
services in sectors as varied as health, education, finance and
commerce, awareness of the opportunities offered by a secure
cyberspace and on the threats inherent in an insecure cyberspace
are vital to meeting national priorities. More active programmes
for capacity-building on the basics of cybersecurity and
strategies for engineers, Internet Service Providers and network
operators who run and operate the networks and IT infrastructure
would help enhance the networked environment where networks and
host are interconnected to form a borderless and global
infrastructure. It is often said that a chain is only as strong
as its weakest link and, in an era of global connectivity, it is
important that this connectivity should also extend to knowledge
and know-how.
Programmes aimed at creating a level playing-field in
raising basic awareness and building capacity need to be
undertaken within the framework of international cooperation.
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