ITU-D Study Groups

Previous Periods

ITU-D STUDY GROUPS 1 AND 2

Rapporteur's Group Question details

Question 3/2
Securing information and communication networks: Best practices for developing a culture of cybersecurity

Definition

PDF version

Expected output

a) Reports to the membership on the issues identified in § 2 a) to n) above. The reports in question will reflect that secure information and communication networks are integral to building the information society and to ensuring the economic and social development of all nations. They will also provide contributions that assist countries in formulating guidelines to address cybersecurity challenges.
Cybersecurity challenges include potential unauthorized access to, destruction of and modification of information transmitted on ICT networks, as well as countering and combating spam and malware. However, the consequences of such challenges can be mitigated by increasing awareness of cybersecurity issues, establishing effective public-private partnerships and sharing successful best practices employed by policy-makers and businesses, and through collaboration with other stakeholders.
In addition, a culture of cybersecurity can promote trust and confidence in these networks, stimulate secure usage, ensure protection of data, including personal data, while enhancing access and trade, and enabling nations to achieve the economic and social development benefits of the information society more effectively.
b) Educational materials for use in workshops, seminars, etc.
c) Accumulation of knowledge, information and best practices on effective, efficient and useful measures and activities to enhance cybersecurity in developing countries resulting from ad hoc sessions, seminars and workshops.

Question or issues for study

a) Discuss approaches to foster the confidentiality, integrity and availability of ICT systems.
b) Discuss approaches and best practices for evaluating the impact of spam and malware within a network, as well as evolving and emerging threats, and provide the necessary input for measures and guidelines, including mitigation techniques and legislative and regulatory aspects that countries can use, taking into account existing standards and available tools.
c) Provide information on current cybersecurity challenges that service providers, regulatory agencies and other relevant parties are facing.
d) Continue to gather national experiences from Member States relating to cybersecurity and child online protection and to identify and examine common themes within those experiences, using that information to provide input for guidelines to assist Member States in developing effective mechanisms for security in the digital environment.
e) Analyse the cybersecurity challenges facing emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), etc., and measures to address those challenges.
f) Share perspectives regarding how cybersecurity supports the protection of personal data.
g) Promote awareness-raising for users and capacity building regarding cybersecurity.
h) Provide a compendium of relevant, ongoing cybersecurity activities being conducted by Member States, organizations, the private sector and civil society at the national, regional and international levels, in which developing countries and all sectors may participate, including information gathered under d) above.
i) Examine specific needs of persons with disabilities, in coordination with other relevant Questions.
j) Examine ways and means to assist developing countries, with the focus on LDCs, in regard to cybersecurity-related challenges.
k) Foster cooperation between the players involved with a view to holding ad hoc sessions, seminars and workshops to share knowledge, information and best practices concerning effective, efficient and useful measures and activities to enhance cybersecurity, increase confidence and protect data and networks, taking into consideration existing and potential risks for ICTs, using outcomes of the study, to be collocated as far as possible with meetings of ITU-D Study Group 2 or of the rapporteur group for the Question.
l) Work in collaboration with the relevant ITU T study groups and other standards-development organizations (SDOs), as appropriate, and taking into account information and material available in these entities.
m) Provide guidance on measures to combat spam and malware at national, regional and international level.
n) Collect and share information regarding regulatory policies developed and/or implemented by national competent authorities to build confidence and security in the telecommunication/ICT sector.

Output Report