Home : ITU-D : ICT Applications and Cybersecurity Division
The ICT Applications and Cybersecurity Division (CYB) is the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector’s focal point to assist developing countries in bridging the digital divide by advancing the use of ICT-based networks, services and applications, and promoting cybersecurity.
The ITU–IMPACT Collaboration seeks to build on
synergies to provide a number of services and activities. These include:
1) Real-time analysis, aggregation and
dissemination of global cyber-threat information;
2) Early warning system and emergency response to
global cyber-threats; and
3) Training and skills development on the
technical, legal and policy aspects of cybersecurity
ITU Botnet Mitigation Toolkit ITU is working with experts on developing a practical Botnet Mitigation Toolkit
to assist developing countries in particular to deal with the growing problem of botnets. The
Botnet Mitigation Toolkit is a multi-stakeholder, multi-pronged approach to track botnets and mitigate their impact, with a particular emphasis on the problems specific to emerging internet economies. [See more information...]
ITU
Cybercrime Legislation Resources: ITU Toolkit for Cybercrime Legislation Deterring cybercrime is an integral component of a national
cybersecurity strategy. In particular, this includes the
adoption of appropriate legislation against the misuse of ICTs for
criminal or other purposes and activities intended to affect the
integrity of national critical infrastructures. Representing one of the elements identified in the
ITU
Global Cybersecurity Agenda as well as
ITU-D Study Group Q22/1
approach to organizing national cybersecurity efforts, establishing
the appropriate legal infrastructure is an integral component of a
national cybersecurity strategy. In particular, this includes the adoption of appropriate legislation against the misuse of ICTs for criminal or other purposes and activities intended to affect the integrity of national critical infrastructures. As threats can originate anywhere around the globe, the challenges are inherently international in scope and it is desirable to harmonize legislative norms as much as possible to facilitate regional and international cooperation.
To assist countries in understanding the links between cybersecurity, the building of confidence and security in the use of ICTs, and cybercrime, ITU has developed, and is in the process of developing, a number of related resources. One such resource is an ITU publication titled “Understanding Cybercrime – A Guide for Developing Countries”. The"ITU Toolkit for Cybercrime Legislation" aims to provide countries with sample legislative language and reference material that can assist in the establishment of harmonized cybercrime
laws and procedural rules. Development of the Toolkit is by a multidisciplinary international
group of experts and a first draft was released in May 2009. [See more information...]
Regional Workshops and Capacity Building Activities Related to Cybercrime Legislation and Enforcement In order to increase awareness among ITU Member States on the importance of cybercrime legislation and law enforcement, a number of regional capacity building activities and workshops on cybercrime legislation and enforcement are currently being planned. Partnerships with the
Council of Europe,
UNODC,
Interpol, National Departments of Justice, as well as other national, regional and international organizations
are being established to aid in the implementation of these and related activities. [See more information...]
ICT applications, such as e-Government, e-Commerce, e-Education, e-Health and e-Environment, are seen as enablers for development, as they provide an efficient channel to deliver a wide range of basic services in remote and rural areas. ICT applications can facilitate the achievement of millennium development targets, reducing poverty and improving health and environmental conditions in developing countries. Given the right approach, context and implementation processes, investments in ICT applications and tools can result in productivity and quality improvements. In turn, e-applications may liberate technical and human capacity and enable greater access to basic services.
Activities are related to integrating IP-based applications and
value-added services in this area and to advise and assist in response to
the concerns and needs of the developing countries in connection with
the introduction of IP‑based multimedia and value-added services in the
development of telecommunication networks.
'Botnets', or as the media calls them, 'Zombie Armies' or 'Drone Armies', and their associated malware have grown over the years into a multimillion dollar criminal economy, a risk to government, critical infrastructure, industry, civil society and to the broader Internet community.
Botnets are coordinated groups of several thousand computing devices (such as PCs, laptops and even the new generation of mobile devices such as 'smartphones'), all infected with the same virus or other malware. Their collective computing power and Internet connectivity is harnessed into a collective whole and remote controlled for the performance of malicious and criminal activities.
Botnets are an illegal and unethical
application of the concept of Distributed Systems, which has existed
since at least 1970, in which multiple computing devices cooperate
to achieve an integrated result...[Continue reading about this toolkit.]
To assist countries in understanding the links between cybersecurity, the building of confidence and security in the use of ICTs, and cybercrime, ITU has developed, and is in the process of developing, a number of
related resources. One such resource is an ITU publication titled “Understanding Cybercrime – A Guide for Developing Countries”. The
guide can serve to help developing countries better understand the implications related to the growing cyber-threats and assist in the assessment of the current legal framework and in the establishment of a sound legal foundation, if this does not yet exist. The publication
was released in May 2009.
The purpose of this report is to examine the adoption of e-Government services in countries with developing economies. The day-to-day business of government is built on information. Information is a critical resource that helps to ensure the accountability of government, enables governments to manage its operations, and allows the public to participate in the governance of their country. With the revolutionary changes that ICTs are bringing to our global society, governments worldwide continue to develop more sophisticated ways to digitize its routines and practices so that they can offer the public access to government services in more effective and efficient ways. Across the world, 173 of 190 countries use the Internet to deliver government services. These activities are broadly referred to as digital government, which is an "umbrella term that comprises all uses of information and telecommunication technologies in the public sector" (Garson p. 18).
E-Government focuses on the utilization of information and communication technologies (ICT) to deliver government services. E-Government is part of other closely related efforts in digital government. This report examines e-Government, although some examples could be regarded as e-governance initiatives... [Continue reading about this report.]
The report National e-Strategies for
Development, Global Status and Perspectives, 2010 is a publication
in the framework of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the WSIS’s Tunis phase
and the adoption of the Tunis Agenda for Information Society. The
Report reviews the progress in the elaboration of comprehensive,
forward-looking and sustainable national e-strategies, and makes
recommendations on policies and measures. This includes ICT
strategies and sectoral e-strategies as an integral part of national
development plans and poverty reduction strategies, as was called
for by the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society... [Continue reading about this report.]
The democratization of mobile telephony in Africa, its availability, ease of use and, above all, the extent to which it has been appropriated by the public, have made it a major success story. Very low-income populations are not only actively demanding access to mobile telephone services but also innovating, by creating the functions and applications they can use. Development is thus happening “from the bottom up” and an entire economy, both formal and informal in nature, has come into being to meet people’s needs. Many different actors – private, public, NGOs – are now mobilized.
Operators and manufacturers have successfully changed their economic model and adapted their products and applications to allow access to services at affordable prices. NGOs have in addition created a range of messaging- based services in different sectors. However, the future evolution of mobile telephony is not clear. A range of different approaches will co-exist, from SMS up to full Internet capacity, including experimental initiatives using smart phones and “netbooks”. Falling costs will lead to an increase in the number of phone devices with data receiving capacity. Individuals and companies involved in creating services or applications for development will need to take account of their users’ demographics and incomes, as well as the pricing systems of telecommunication companies in countries where they wish to operate. In this, States and regulating authorities have grasped the crucial role which they must play in promoting an investment-friendly environment with the goal of achieving universal access and stimulating innovation – key factors in achieving a “critical mass” of users.
This report takes stock of developments in this sector, which is crucial to Africa’s economic development, and suggests a number of possible directions it might take.
... [Continue reading about this report.]
TThis report aims to foster a better
understanding on how to leverage the economic and social impacts of the use
of mobile technologies and applications to enable ubiquitous
governments, sustain public sector innovation and transform public service
delivery. The report is a joint-product of the collaboration of
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).... [Continue reading about this report.]
On 8th
September 2011, IMPACT has formally become the cybersecurity
executing arm of the United Nations’ (UN) specialised agency
-International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in a landmark agreement
that was signed during the World Summit for Information Society 2011
(WSIS) Forum in Geneva, May 2011. IMPACT is tasked by ITU with the
responsibility of providing cybersecurity assistance and support to
ITU’s 193 Member States and also to other organisations within the
UN system. The Memorandum of Agreement was officially signed by ITU
Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun Touré and Datuk Mohd Noor Amin,
Chairman of IMPACT at the ITU’s head office in Geneva. Founded in
1865, ITU is the oldest organisation within the UN system and
functions as the UN’s specialised agency for information and
communication technologies. IMPACT’s involvement with ITU began in
2008 when it was chosen as the physical home of ITU’s Global
Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA). The GCA is an international
cybersecurity framework that was formulated following deliberations
by more than 100 leading experts worldwide. The GCA contains many
recommendations, which when adopted and appropriately implemented,
would result in improved cybersecurity for the global community of
nations. Through a Memorandum of Understanding inked back in 2008,
ITU made IMPACT the physical home of the GCA and had tasked IMPACT
with the responsibility to operationalise the various initiatives
under the GCA. In addition to this, during the 2011 WSIS Forum, a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between ITU and the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) which will see
IMPACT playing a pivotal role in supporting both organisations in
their collaboration to assist UN member states mitigate risks posed
by cybercrime. IMPACT’s Global Response Centre (GRC) acts as the
foremost cyber threat resource centre for the global community and
provides emergency responses to facilitate identification of cyber
threats and sharing of resources to assist ITU-UNODC Member States.
Since its establishment back in 2008, IMPACT serves as a
politically-neutral platform which brings together governments,
industry and the academia to enhance the global community’s
capabilities in dealing with cyber threats. [Continue reading about this document]
This report, ICTs and e-Environment, reviews
key ICT trends and provides an overview of the impact that ICTs have
on the environment and climate change as well as their role in
helping mankind to mitigate and adapt to these changes. The report
approaches the issues from a development perspective and is based on
consultations with key actors and extensive online research. The
ICTs and e-Environment report documents current activities and
initiatives and makes a set of recommendations for strengthening the
capacity of developing countries to make beneficial use of ICTs to
mitigate and adapt to environmental change, including climate
change. [Continue
reading about this report.]