(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/Okan Metin)
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., City of London Police Commissioner Adrian Leppard, and the Center for Internet Security (CIS) have announced the launch of the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), an international, cross-sector initiative created to confront, reduce, and prevent malicious cyber activity.
Cybercrime dominates headlines with increasing frequency. For example, a recent prosecution in the United States targeted a Russian hacker, Vladimir Drinkman, accused of breaking into corporate systems, including networks belonging to NASDAQ, 7-Eleven, JCP, JetBlue, Dow Jones, Visa Jordan, Diners Singapore and Ingenicard — a case the Department of Justice described as one of the largest of its kind.
Adrian Leppard, City of London Police Commissioner, emphasized the transnational nature of the threat: “Protection from cyber attacks is a huge challenge for businesses and organisations across the globe. The threat doesn’t respect national borders or legal jurisdictions and the solution to the challenge should recognise this. Today’s announcement should be a sign that the partnership between our nations can continue to protect us today and into the future from those that would use technology against us.”
International tensions over cyber security remain high. In July, Russia accused unknown actors of launching a cyber incident that affected some 4,000 military and civilian personnel tied to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At the same time, Russia itself has reported attacks: the head of the Russian Electoral Commission, Vladimir Churov, said his agency’s website was targeted by an attack that made tens of thousands of requests per minute, which he attributed to a company based in San Francisco.
Geographic attribution of attack traffic varies: Akamai’s “State of the Internet” report indicates that China accounted for a substantial share of global attack traffic, reportedly about 41 percent, while the United States comprised a smaller portion, around 13 percent.
Will Pelgrin, former CEO and President of the Center for Internet Security, framed cybercrime as a global epidemic: “Cyber crimes have become a worldwide epidemic with estimates of a half billion global cyber victims annually. We must treat cyber security threats and crimes as we would any widespread infectious disease – immediately, urgently and collectively. Cyber risks have reached catastrophic proportions and, therefore, require an unparalleled, public/private and transnational response.”
The Global Cyber Alliance will operate from dual headquarters in New York City and London. Organizers stress the importance of ensuring the alliance is perceived as a protective, cooperative force rather than as a politically aligned entity in an era of heightened international tension.
Jane Holl Lute, CEO of the Center for Internet Security, described the alliance’s mission: “The Alliance will make practical, effective action a priority, and reach out broadly — irrespective of geographic boundaries or sectors — to build a truly inclusive and collaborative approach to cybersecurity.”
Support for the GCA spans multiple sectors. Participating partners come from security, defense, retail, healthcare, insurance, energy, aviation, education, law enforcement, government, and finance. Notable institutions involved include American Express, Barclays Bank, Citibank, U.S. Bank, and the Financial Services ISAC.
To seed the effort, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has pledged $25 million in criminal asset forfeiture funds to support the alliance’s work, committing $15 million over the first three years with an additional $10 million to follow.
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