CSIA Opens European Headquarters in Brussels

The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) today opened its European headquarters in Brussels, a milestone in the organization's mission to improve information security through international public policy, advocacy and educational efforts. CSIA also announced today that Marika Konings will lead its new Brussels office.

"There are currently several initiatives in the European Union that examine privacy directives and call for a more secure infrastructure," said Paul Kurtz, executive director of CSIA. "It is important for CSIA to expand its European presence now, while these discussions are still underway. With the opening of our European office led by Marika, CSIA will be able to dedicate more time and resources to uniting international efforts in the fight to strengthen our global information infrastructure and combat cybercrime."

CSIA has been active in many international cyber security efforts and most recently advocated for the passage of the Convention on Cybercrime, an international treaty adopted through the Council of Europe. Last month, CSIA applauded the U.S. Senate for ratification of this Convention, marking an important step in the fight against the global nature of information security.
As part of her work for CSIA, Konings will represent CSIA's interests before the European Union institutions and engage with policy makers to raise the profile of cyber security on the EU agenda. Konings has an extensive background in cyber security policy and holds a Master's degree in European Political and Administrative Studies from the College of Europe in Brugge.

"One of the defining trends in cyber crime now and in the foreseeable future is the growing importance of organized crime, which is being actively conducted by off-shoots of existing criminal organizations and newly formed groups. The driving force for these criminal organizations is the ease of making money through cyber crime and the relatively low chance of being faced with the consequences in a court of law," said Risto Siilasmaa, CEO of F-Secure. "CSIA can play a major role in helping governments and legislators to unite forces across borders to fight cyber crime."