Spam, Phishing and Malware Jeopardize the Future of the Information Society

The 63rd Session of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Council opened with a High-Level Segment, on November 12-13, 2008. The meeting was inaugurated by two Heads of State, H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, and H.E. Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso, as well as by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon via video message. It was attended by some 400 participants, 21 Ministers, Ambassadors and heads of regulatory organizations and UN agencies. The High-Level Segment concluded on November 13, 2008 with the following declaration by ITU Secretary-General, Dr. Hamadoun Touré:

"Cyber-security is one of the most important challenges of our time. The rapid growth of ICT networks has enabled opportunists to exploit online vulnerabilities and attack countries' critical infrastructure. Spam is a constant and growing problem that threatens to stretch the capacity of the Internet to transport data to the fullest, while phishing and malware affect computer systems around the globe. The costs associated with cyber threats and cyber-attacks are real and significant -- not only in terms of lost revenue, breaches of sensitive data, cyber-attacks and network outages but also in terms of lives ruined by identity theft, debts run up on plundered credit cards or the online exploitation of children. Our very trust in the online world is at stake -- jeopardizing the future of the information society, which is in danger from these growing cyber threats.

ITU has taken a leading role in promoting cyber-security and trying to combat the growing tidal wave of cyber threats. On the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2007, ITU launched the Global Cyber-security Agenda. A High-Level Experts Group (HLEG) has spent the last year reviewing the issues and developing proposals for long-term strategies to promote cyber-security, an achievement honored with the award of the ITU Silver Medal to the chair of the HLEG, Chief Judge Stein Schjolberg.

The GCA is now moving into its operational phase and ITU is undertaking a vital partnership in conjunction with IMPACT -- the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber-Threats -- hosted by the Government of Malaysia, which will put a global early warning system at the disposal of all Member States. The Child Online Protection (COP) initiative is a vitally important project that will protect one of the most vulnerable groups online by providing valuable guidance on safe online behavior, in conjunction with other UN agencies and partners. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon yesterday welcomed ITU's COP initiative and urged all States to support it. ITU Member States stand united in their determination to combat the growing menace of cybercrime and the risks posed by new and emerging cyber threats."