• The Internet has transformed modern life and continues to grow at an astonishing rate - ITU estimates that, by the start of 2008, there were 1.3 billion Internet users worldwide.
   
• The strong growth in Internet access has been accompanied by a proliferation in cyberthreats and the risks of venturing online.
   
• It is increasingly difficult to protect end-users, especially more vulnerable users online such as children, from the growing risks associated with online access.
   
• No country is safe – cybercriminals strike at will, and anonymously. Such far-reaching challenges posed by these new and greater cyberthreats can only be addressed at the global level.

Background information on Cybersecurity...

The absence of effective institutions to deal with cyber-attacks is a major issue. Some countries have established specific agencies with watch, warning and incident response capabilities. Other countries prefer to promote capacity to deal with cyber-incidents within existing law enforcement agencies. What lessons can be learned from the experience of different countries? And how can cooperation and the flow of information between national institutions be improved?

• Highlights Session 2
   
• List of speakers
   

Threats to cybersecurity are global in nature. Cybercriminals can strike at will, exploiting technical vulnerabilities and legal loopholes through cross-border operations that show no respect for geographical boundaries or jurisdictional borders. This makes it difficult for any single national or regional legal framework to address cyberthreats effectively. What are the major challenges countries face in fighting cybercrime? How can countries deal with these challenges?

• Highlights Session 3
   
• List of speakers
   

The most vulnerable Internet users online are children. In industrialized countries, as many as 60% of children and teenagers use online chatrooms regularly, and evidence suggests that as many of three-quarters of these may be willing to share personal information in exchange for online goods and services. In some countries, as many as one in five children may be targeted by a predator or paedophile each year. These trends are increasingly true in many emerging and developing countries as well.

• Highlights Session 5
   
• List of speakers
   

There are many valuable national and regional initiatives underway to promote cybersecurity. However, the growing global cyberthreats need a global basis on which they can be addressed. On 17 May 2007, the ITU Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun Touré launched the Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA) as a framework for international cooperation to promote cybersecurity and enhance confidence and security in the information society. The GCA seeks to encourage collaboration amongst all relevant partners in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs.

• Highlights Session 6
   
• List of speakers