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With a view to enhancing cybersecurity, the Netherlands is using its Presidency of the Council of the European Union to foster dialogue not only between governments, but also with the broader IT community, including businesses and experts. In that spirit, a meeting on this subject for senior civil servants is being held on 12 and 13 May.
Participants include directors-general whose remit encompasses cybersecurity, CEOs and members of the management boards of organisations involved in security, IT and vital infrastructure.
Talking with a robot
On 12 May, State Secretary for Security and Justice Klaas Dijkhoff opened the conference by engaging in conversation with a Nao robot on opportunities and risks associated with cybersecurity. This was followed by a number of interactive sessions on such topics as standardisation, responsible disclosure and education (as a means of addressing new trends, such as ‘the internet of things’), interconnectivity, and the increasing complexity of IT products and services and our growing dependence on them. One of the meeting’s overarching themes was the fact that digital threats do not respect national borders.
The next step
EU member states must work together to take the necessary steps for the future, such as the adoption of the European Network and Information Security Directive and enhanced cooperation between the Computer Emergency Response Teams. Public-private partnerships are essential for formulating a broad, effective response to current and future cyber threats.
Signing a manifesto
In order to promote these types of public-private partnerships, over 30 private parties signed a Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure Manifesto, an initiative of Rabobank and the CIO Platform. By concluding this manifesto, the private parties have committed themselves to introducing a policy on responsible disclosure: the duty to responsibly report and address vulnerabilities in information systems and software products.
