McAfee and the Security & Defence Agenda (SDA), the leading independent Brussels-based think-tank specialist in security and defense issues, released the findings from their report, “Cyber-security: The Vexed Question of Global Rules,” the first and most extensive of its kind.
The report, written by the SDA and sponsored by McAfee, examines the current state of cyber-preparedness around the world, and is based on survey results from 80 policy-makers and cybersecurity experts in the government, business and academic sectors from 27 countries (including Canada). The countries were ranked on their state of cyber-preparedness and Canada received 3.5 stars out of five, putting it in the company of Australia, Austria and Japan.
Some key findings include:
- 57 per cent of global experts believe that an arms race is taking place in cyber space.
- 43 per cent identified damage or disruption to critical infrastructure as the greatest single threat posed by cyber-attacks with wide economic consequences (up from 37 per cent in McAfee’s 2010 Critical Infrastructure Report).
- 45 per cent of respondents believe that cybersecurity is as important as border security.
- The state of cyber-readiness of Canada, the United States, Australia, UK, China and Germany all ranked behind smaller countries such as Israel, Sweden and Finland (23 countries ranked in report).
**Please see the infographics showing the rankings of 23 countries, including Canada at http://www.sawebdev.ca/mcafee/McAfee_Cyber_Defense_2012/.
PRESS RELEASE
57% Believe a Cyber Arms Race is Currently Taking Place, Reveals McAfee-Sponsored Cyber Defense Report
Finland, Israel and Sweden Lead the Pack in First Global Report on Cyber Defense – Written by the Security Defence and Agenda (SDA), the Report Reveals Major Challenges in Cyber Readiness
Brussels, Washington DC – JANUARY 30, 2012 – McAfee and the Security and Defence Agenda (SDA) today revealed the findings from a report; Cyber-security: The Vexed Question of Global Rules that paints, for the first time, a global snapshot of current thinking about the cyber-threat and the measures that should be taken to defend against them, and assesses the way ahead. The SDA, the leading defense and security think-tank in Brussels, interviewed leading global security experts to ensure findings would offer usable recommendations and actions. The report was created to identify key debate areas and trends and to help governments and organizations understand how their cyber defense posture compares to those of other countries and organizations.
Here are some noted findings:
- 57 per cent of global experts believe that an arms race is taking place in cyber space.
- 36 per cent believe cybersecurity is more important than missile defense.
- 43 per cent identified damage or disruption to critical infrastructure as the greatest single threat posed by cyber-attacks with wide economic consequences (up from 37 per cent in McAfee’s 2010 Critical Infrastructure Report).
- 45 per cent of respondents believe that cybersecurity is as important as border security.
- The state of cyber-readiness of Canada, the United States, Australia, UK, China and Germany all ranked behind smaller countries such as Israel, Sweden and Finland (23 countries ranked in report).
McAfee asked the SDA, as an independent think-tank, to produce the most informed report on global cyber defense available. The SDA had in-depth interviews with 80 world-leading policy-makers and cybersecurity experts in government, business and academia in 27 countries, and anonymously surveyed 250 world leaders in 35 countries. As the only specialist security and defense think-tank in Brussels, the SDA has become one of the world’s leading forums for the discussion of international defense and security policies. The methodology used for rating various countries’ state of cyber-readiness is that developed by Robert Lentz, President of Cyber Security Strategies and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber, Identity and Information Assurance. [see http://www.sawebdev.ca/mcafee/McAfee_Cyber_Defense_2012/ for the infographics on rankings].
The top six actions cited in report are:
- Real-time global information sharing is required.
- Financial incentives for critical improvements in security are needed for both private and public sectors.
- More power should be given to law enforcement to combat cross-border cyber crime.
- Best-practice led international security standards need to be developed.
- Diplomatic challenges facing global cyber treaties need to be addressed.
- Public awareness campaigns that go beyond current programs need to be launched to help citizens.
Real-time sharing of global intelligence was a core recommendation of the report, citing that building trust between industry stakeholders by setting up bodies, like the Common Assurance Maturity Model (CAMM) and the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), to share information and best practices. “The core problem is that the cyber criminal has greater agility, given large funding streams and no legal boundaries to sharing information, and can thus choreograph well-orchestrated attacks into systems,” says Phyllis Schneck, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Global Public Sector, McAfee. “Until we can pool our data and equip our people and machines with intelligence, we are playing chess with only half the pieces.”
Experts interviewed also agreed that developments like smart phones and cloud computing mean we are seeing a whole new set of problems linked to inter-connectivity and sovereignty that require new regulations and new thinking. Last year, McAfee issued a Q3 threat report that stated that the total amount of malware targeted at Android devices jumped 76 per cent from Q2 of 2010 to Q2 of last year, to become the most attacked mobile operating system.
Other key report findings from the SDA report include the following:
- Need to address expected shortage of cyber workforce: More than half (56 per cent) of the respondents highlight a coming skills shortage.
- Low level of preparedness for cyber attacks: China, Russia, Italy and Poland fall behind Finland, Israel, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Spain and the United States. Canada’s ranking falls in the middle, along with those of Australia, Austria and Japan.
- Cybersecurity exercises are not receiving strong participation from industry: Although almost everyone believes that exercises are important, only 20 per cent of those surveyed in the private sector have taken part in such exercises.
- Risk assessment: Prioritize information protection, knowing that no one size fits all. The three key goals that need to be achieved are confidentiality, integration and availability in different doses according to the situation.
- Balance between security and privacy: Improve attribution capability by selectively reducing anonymity without sacrificing privacy rights.
While many respondents believed that global treaties were an essential factor in the development of sound policy, some also suggested the establishment of cyber-confidence building measures as alternatives to global treaties, or as a stopgap measure, since treaties are seen as unverifiable, unenforceable and impractical. Stewart Barker, the former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush, stated that treaties “delude western countries into thinking they have some protection against tactics that have been unilaterally abandoned by other treaty signatories.”
About the report:
McAfee asked the Security & Defence Agenda (SDA) as an independent think-tank to produce the most extensive report on cyber defense. The report stack ranks the degree to which governments are prepared to withstand cyber attacks. This SDA report sets out to reflect the many different views on what cybersecurity means, and how to move towards it. To build up a multi-faceted picture of opinion worldwide, SDA interviewed world leaders to highlight what they see as the key issues.
To download “The Cyber Defense Report” report please visit www.mcafee.com/.
About McAfee
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more securely. Backed by its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. McAfee is relentlessly focused on constantly finding new ways to keep our customers safe.
McAfee Canada is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, with regional offices across Canada. The company’s Consumer Software Research and Development facility in based in Waterloo, Ontario.
About SDA
The Security & Defence Agenda (SDA) is Brussels’ only dedicated security and defence think-tank. The SDA raises awareness by anticipating the political agenda and focusing attention on European and transatlantic policy challenges related to security and defence. Its activities include roundtables, lunch and evening debates, policymakers’ dinners, international conferences and a range of publications. The SDA brings together experts and policymakers from the EU institutions, NATO, national governments, industry, the media, think-tanks, academia and NGOs. This diversity, and a reputation for thought-provoking debate, has kept the SDA at the heart of the defence and security community.
