Global approach needed on cybercrime, says experts

Agence France-Presse
Switzerland -- Telecoms and computer executives, legal officials, and United Nations agencies on Friday warned that the world needs to take a global approach to tackling cybercrime and security issues on the Internet.

International Telecommunications Union chief Hamadoun Toure said individual national or regional approaches to tackle spam, hackers, remote attacks on computer systems, and use of the Internet for crime would inevitably be flawed.

"Cyber security is a global problem and it needs a global solution," he told journalists after a meeting here.

The attempt to set up a global agenda to tackle cybersecurity has gained momentum following a concerted wave of cyber attacks on Estonia's websites and computer infrastructure in May, participants said.

"It can happen again, anywhere in the world," said Norwegian judge and computer crime specialist Stein Schjolberg.

"Whatever applies in the conventional world can apply in an amplified way in the cyberworld," he added.

The meeting decided to set up five working groups to examine possible legislative and technical measures, more international cooperation, and reinforcing finance and security infrastructure.

Toure said the experts were aiming to report on their findings next March, and he would introduce recommendations on concrete steps at an ITU council meeting in September 2008.