The absence of institutional structures to deal with incidents (such as virus and network attacks resulting in fraud, the destruction of information and/or the dissemination of inappropriate content) is also a genuine problem in responding to cyberattacks.

While some countries and regions have set up agencies dealing with watch and warning systems and incident response, and have put in place the organizational structures for coordinating responses to cyberattacks, much more still needs to be done. When a cyberattack occurs in one country, its devastating effects can reach victims in connected countries in a matter of minutes. The free flow of information, collaboration and cooperation between national organizational structures are vital to deal effectively with and respond to such incidents.

Another area where is it necessary to establish organizational structures and appropriate policies is in the domain of generic identity certificates (digital certification). User authentication has long been recognized as a vital strategy in combating cyberthreats (identity theft, phishing and other forms of online fraud). Strong authentication is a key component for building confidence and security in the information society. While some countries have established the organizational structures and infrastructure needed to provide generic identity certificates to citizens, such structures have yet to be established in other countries. A global framework is needed to enable government-run national generic identity certificates to be recognized globally across geographical boundaries.

Efforts have been made to bring together some of these organizational structures, mostly at the national and regional levels, in order to facilitate communication, information exchange and the recognition of digital credentials across different jurisdictions. However, these efforts are currently insufficient, because such problems are not limited to any single region or sub-region. Efforts to establish appropriate national organizational structures and link them together through international cooperation are indispensable in providing global solutions to these global challenges.
 

« Go back to overview