The International Effort to Stop Cyber Crime

More than likely encouraged by the recent hacker attacks by Lulz Security, Anonymous and various other hacker groups, a global effort has come together to stomp out cybercrime as a whole. The group is being called the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance (ICSPA) and brings together a host of different groups, including governments, international businesses and law enforcement agencies.

The multi-cultural and multi-organizational authority was launched on Tuesday in London. Several notable security companies have also become involved with the effort, including McAfee and Trend Micro.

How the United Kingdom Government is Reacting

Prime Minister of the UK, David Cameron is very happy with the new developments and welcomes the group’s efforts whole-heartedly. Cameron comments, "Our government has already injected an additional £650m to help improve our national infrastructure and protect against cybercrime, but the very nature of this threat calls for more than a national response; it demands a truly global response and that is what the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance is all about."

Other than the various benefits provided by the cooperation efforts and relationships between the various businesses, governments and law enforcement officials, the non-profit organization will also put money into training resources and building an international expert list; the group is headed by David Blunkett, former Home Secretary of the UK.

"ICSPA's goal is to improve international law enforcement capability and capacity to help protect businesses and their customers against this unprecedented threat," Cameron continues. Of course a group of this proportion is going to need significant amounts of money to function, so where is the money coming from? Well, the group’s funding is expected to come from not only the European Union, but several government entities as well.

James Brokeshire, Crime Prevention Minister in the UK, comments about the many benefits that the Internet has brought to both individuals and businesses alike, but notes that it can also be a powerful medium for criminal organizations to “operate across national boundaries.” He continues, "Cybercrime is a truly global problem and to tackle it we need strong partnership between countries and across private and public sectors."

Countries in Danger

The United Kingdom government noted that in 2010, cybercrime and terrorism were on the forefront of imminent danger to security efforts. One of the most important goals that has been put on the top of the group’s agenda is sending aid to countries that they believe need assistance in the cyber security realm, one of which being China.

Rik Ferguson, Director for Security Research at Trend Micro comments "You've got to go beyond Europe. We need to make sure this doesn't turn into an all-English club."

As noted earlier, both Trend Micro and McAfee Security have decided to tag along with the group and if you’re going to have an international cybercrime unit then it’s a good idea to bring along people that deal with computer security on a daily basis. Ferguson goes on to comment that for China, “there’s no reason why they would not become a big part of ICSPA.”

BBC