Information security is the responsibility of businesses, not
just governments, the European Commission has told the ISSE 2009
security conference in The Hague.
Information security is not something that only comes from and
is funded by government, said Andrea Servida, deputy head of the EC
information society and media directorate.
The cyber attacks on Estonia 2007 were a wake up call for some,
but many in central Europe still do not appreciate the important
role they have to play in improving cyber security.
Information security is high on the EC agenda, said Servida, but
while the commission is still formulating a regional strategy, all
parties have to work together.
It is imperative that we act now and do so in a collaborative
way, he said. All stakeholders should focus on building resilience
into all software and IT systems, he said.
Europe has to move from talking about information security to
collaborative action across the region and internationally. Unless
all parties are involved, there will be no success, he said.
Servida said European countries need to prioritise setting up
mechanisms for bringing security expertise together to tackle
common cybersecurity threats.
Public-private partnerships will be key to achieving this as
many of the players are global organisations that can help guide
actions and investments, he said.
The EC is facilitating the debate so that there is greater
collaboration and less duplication of effort and will consult
widely in formulating a package of proposals in the longer term,
said Servida.