The European Commission has proposed a plan to increase
co-operation between member states to improve internet security.
The proposal defines network and information security, describes
the main security threats of viruses, hacking, denial of service,
interception, but also natural disasters - and concludes that there
is a need for a more collaborative approach to solving the
problems.
The Commission believes that an essential issue is raising
awareness. Only when internet users fully appreciate the risks
involved in using the network can they make informed choices about
the level of security they want. Indeed, they might want quite
different levels of security for different contexts - an e-mail to
a friend with details of the night's plans is not usually
sensitive, while an e-mail containing confidential business
information is.
Viruses can wipe out a whole hard disk and proliferate through
the e-mail system. Anti-virus software stops known viruses, but
against new viruses, only early warning is an effective defence.
The Commission hopes that its proposal will ensure a more effective
networking of European warning and information systems.
Some security problems have technical solutions, and the
Commission is looking for more collaborative work in this area. It
is calling for common standards and interoperable solutions, as
encryption software, for example, is useless if not compatible at
both ends.
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The draft also states that national governments have a
responsibility in relation to their own systems. Interactions with
government - medical, financial and personal data - are amongst the
most sensitive and if governments can show the way, using
interoperable security solutions in e-government, this will help
both individuals and business to take security of networks
seriously. The Commission proposes to strengthen and increase the
co-operation of national computer emergency response teams
("CERTs").
The Commission plans a new law to deal with attacks against
computer systems, including hacking and denial of service attacks.
This may lead to harsher punishments for cybercriminals in the
future.
