Leading global businesses, including our own parcel delivery company Yodel, have joined forces to launch the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance (ICSPA) this week. The group has been formed to help tackle the growing threat posed by cybercriminals.
ICSPA will be run as a global not-for-profit organisation that will channel funding, expertise and assistance directly into law enforcement cybercrime units in both domestic and international markets. ICSPA will work with Europol, the European-wide law enforcement agency, to identify crime-reducing projects to fund and support. Work will include the training of law enforcement officers and the development of information sharing systems. The organisation will also strive to identify new channels that may be exploited by internet gangs, and to develop tools and strategies to offer improved protection.
The organisation is funded by annual membership fees from member companies, which also include McAfee and Trend Micro, but EU funding is also being sought as well as cash from the member countries.
Endorsed by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, and chaired by David Blunkett MP, ICSPA will work with the UK and foreign governments, law enforcement organisations and businesses to identify areas of vulnerability and to fund targeted programmes that will boost protection against cybercrime.
David Cameron said: “Our government has already injected an additional £650m to help improve our national infrastructure and protect against cybercrime, but the very nature of this threat calls for more than a national response – it demands a truly global response and that is what the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance is all about.”
Yodel chief executive Jonathan Smith said: “Yodel is well aware of the growing threat posed by criminals operating online. We take this issue incredibly seriously and are proud to be a founding member of ICSPA. By working together with stakeholders on a global basis, the organisation is in a position to make a real difference and help clamp down on cybercrime.”
