Securing cyberspace is a global challenge – one that cannot be solved by a single company or country alone.  That is why the EastWest Institute launched the Worldwide Cybersecurity Initiative in 2009, bringing together government and corporate partners to protect our world’s digital infrastructure.

>> EWI cybersecurity Update | Fall 2011

Drawing on a thirty-year history of building trust, EWI formed the Cyber40, a coalition of representatives from the world’s most digitally-advanced countries. Its goal: to shape “rules of the road” for cyber conflict and fighting cyber crime through international cooperation.  EWI is also helping to build innovative private-public partnerships on cybersecurity.

 Since 2010, over 1,000 business, government and technical leaders have been involved in EWI’s ongoing cybersecurity initiative.  Our government partners include Russia, China, the United States, France, Germany, India and Japan.  Our corporate partners and supporters include AT&T, Microsoft, Deloitte, BAE Systems, Goldman Sachs, Huawei, Vodafone, Juniper, the Financial Times, Akin Gump, Knightsbridge Cybersystems, the Chertoff Group, VeriSign and Unisys.  The IEEE Communications Society is the technical co-sponsor for EWI’s worldwide cybersecurity summits.

EWI’s annual cybersecurity summits provide a crucial forum for building international, private-public partnerships and for shaping the agreements, standards, policies and regulations (ASPR) we need to protect cyberspace. TheFirst Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit: Protecting the Digital Economy was held in Dallas in May 2010, followed by The Second Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit: Mobilizing for International Action, held in London in June 2011. The Third Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit will be held in New Delhi from October 31-November 1, 2012.

EWI’s Global Effort

EWI’s cybersecurity initiative is distinguished by our truly global scope – our ability to bring experts from different countries and sectors together to forge solutions. In our capacity as an experienced Track 2 convener, EWI has launched cutting-edge cybersecurity collaborations between the U.S. and Russia, and the U.S. and China, and is currently reaching out to a rising cyber power: India.

India:

In India, EWI is working to help the government form partnerships with the private sector on cybersecurity. Early in 2011, the Indian National Security Council asked EWI to explore avenues for collaboration with its Indian partners: the Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), and the Data Security Council of India (DSCI). EWI has secured a commitment from these leading Indian organizations and others to co-host the Third Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit in 2012, and will conducting seminars, consultations and other activities throughout the year to build momentum for the summit.

China:

Partnering with the Internet Society of China, EWI regularly brings together Chinese and U.S. experts to confront some of the toughest threats to cyberspace. In June 2011, EWI released the first joint U.S.-China report to address a major cybersecurity challenge, Fighting Spam to Build Trust The report that makes strong joint recommendations for decreasing spam, which comprises as much as 90% of all email messages and carries the malicious codes used by hackers for crime.

EWI’s China-U.S. team will continue its collaboration in the months ahead, seeking innovative solutions to cybersecurity threats and building trust between the U.S. and China – person by person.

Russia:

In February of 2011, EWI released the first ever joint U.S.-Russia publication on cyberspace, Working Towards Rules for Governing Cyber Conflict: Rendering the Geneva and Hague Conventions in Cyberspace.  Produced by a team of U.S. and Russian experts, the report explores how to  extend the humanitarian principles that govern war to cyberspace. This groundbreaking report grabbed attention at the 2011 Munich Security Conference, in part because it modeled the kind of international cooperation that is possible – and necessary – in cyberspace.

In April 2011, another group of U.S.-Russia experts convened by EWI released a joint report that defined twenty critical terms for cyber and information security, laying the foundation for wording multilateral agreements on cyberspace.  EWI will continue to carry the work of both groups forward in the months leading up to the Third Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit.

Breakthroughs

Throughout the year, EWI regularly convenes “breakthrough groups” – small groups of international experts and stakeholders committed to solving a specific cybersecurity problem. These include:

Undersea Cables at Risk
To protect the vial undersea cables that carry over 99% of intercontinental Internet messages, EWI has partnered with IEEE to begin a program of advocacy and mobilization called the Reliability of Global Undersea Cable Communications Infrastructure.

International Priority Communications
During crises like the earthquakes that devastated Haiti and Japan, communications networks become so congested that critical calls are not able to be completed, which contributes to loss of life and property. This group is working to help ensure that the cell phone calls of authorized users are fast-tracked during times of crisis.

Cyber Conflict Policy and Rules of Engagement
EWI has established Track 2 bilateral processes with the experts from the United States, Russia and other key countries to develop “rules of the road” for cyber conflict.

Measuring the Cybersecurity Problem
If compromised organizations and companies could share information about online security breaches without fear of losing business, we would be better able to measure and counter cyber attacks.  This group is working to create a trusted environment for stakeholders to report such information.

ICT Development Supply Chain Integrity
Reliance on cyber products is growing, but it’s difficult for governments and businesses to assess the security of these products. This group is working to define the problem and develop best practices to keep consumers safe.

International Cooperation to Fight Spam
Working with the Message Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), this group is working to put 46 best practices for countering spam developed by an EWI-led joint U.S.-China team into action.

Collective Action to Improve Global Internet Health
This group is exploring how a public health model might be used to imagine new approaches to protecting billions of Internet users.

Emergency Response Coordination for the Financial Services Sector
To protect the financial services sector in emergencies, this group is working to develop an organization that allows members to share crucial information, among other actions.