INTERPOL conference adopts
five recommendations
The 1st INTERPOL Information Security Conference entitled "Global Cooperation today for Infosec risks tomorrow", concluded on September 17. More than 250 law enforcement agents, industry leaders and academics from over 50 nations heard keynote speakers and expert panelists from all over the world talked about information security, and participated in management and technical track panel discussions.
The conference highlighted the importance of Information and Communications Technology in the daily lives of citizens around the world and the need to protect mission critical systems and assets. Recognising the tremendous efforts made by INTERPOL Member Countries and the INTERPOL General Secretariat in developing and implementing information security management system, the conference also agreed that INTERPOL could and should play a major role in promoting information security within the international law enforcement community.
In his keynote address at the opening of the conference, INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald Noble, called for law enforcement worldwide to develop an international identity verification system, which, he said, INTERPOL was ideally placed to co-ordinate against "the very concrete security threat" of cybercrime.
"Considering the anonymity of cyberspace, cybercrime may in fact be one of the most dangerous criminal threats ever. A vital component in fighting transnational crime must therefore include policing of information security and provision of secure communication channels for police worldwide based on common standards," said Mr Noble.
Speaking at the conference opening, Commissioner Tang King-shing said the conference promoted mutual co-operation in the increasingly fast-paced world of information.
"Besides providing a platform to exchange good pratices and valuable experiences, the conference will be a great opportunity to understand common threats faced by different regions of the world and to forge partnerships in identifying solutions," he added.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Deputy Commissioner (Operations) Tsang Wai-hung congratulated the participants on a meaningful conference and expressed his determination to continue to enhance the close ties that had been forged during the conference. This was echoed by INTERPOL's Director of Information Systems and Technology Directorate, Mr Noboru Nakatani, who added that the conference was the beginning of an extended co-operation and stronger partnerships whilst the success thereof and the positive feedback would hopefully mean that the 1st INTERPOL Information Security Conference would be the first of many to come.
In his post conference thank you address, Mr Nakatani expressed his gratitude to the Hong Kong Police Organising Committee, seven working Sub-committees and the Conference Secretariat for delivering one of the best-ever INTERPOL conferences.
The conference adopted the following five recommendations:
● INTERPOL continues to assist Member Countries in building capacity in the information security domain through continued information security policy development; provision of assistance to Member Countries; and promotion of information security skills in partnership with recognised certification bodies, international and inter-regional organisations and academia.
● Increase ability to prevent, detect and respond to incidents by building on successes in the alerting and documenting incidents domain; improving communication and incident workflow through secure communication channels; and leveraging the unique nature of INTERPOL.
● Increase information sharing in the information security and cybercrime domains by strengthening relationships with special interest groups and other key players to work with INTERPOL in supporting Member Countries to develop the necessary resources and relationships with national Computer Emergency Response Teams, law enforcement community, and private sector. As part of that work, INTERPOL will facilitate establishment of structures for information collecting and sharing for the law enforcement community.
● Continue to develop the most appropriate tools to prevent, detect and respond to information security incidents by facilitating research into emerging technologies and trends, and developing new tools for digital forensics that support information security and incident response in partnership with experts from academia, public and private sectors.
● The INTERPOL Information Security Conference should become a regular event in order to promote continuous co-operation among law enforcement community and the public and private sectors.
