For the first time, Kaspersky is set to participate in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), hosted by the United Nations. This year, the 15th annual event will be run online from November 2 to November 17[1], with the overarching theme of: Internet for human resilience and solidarity. As part of IGF 2020, the global cybersecurity company is organizing four major activities to increase awareness, transparency and international cooperation in the fight against cyberthreats.
2020 has seen a surge in individuals, businesses and organizations relying on the internet. Coupled with the rapid rise in online criminal activity, this trend has made cybersecurity more important than ever to ensure the internet is both safe and sustainable. As a company that is focused on building a more protected world, Kaspersky aims to spark the global conversation among different stakeholder groups, including policymakers, on broadening international cooperation to negate global digital security challenges.
At the Forum, Kaspersky’s CEO, Eugene Kaspersky, will give a keynote speech to high-level leaders on November 13, where he will address, among other topics, the importance of international cooperation for global cybersecurity policies. The company will also hold an event on stalkerware, organized with the Coalition Against Stalkerware. A workshop on assurance and transparency in information and communication technology (ICT) supply chain security will also be organized together with fellow partners. Additionally, Kaspersky’s multi-stakeholder best practices will be represented at an online booth.
“Cybersecurity is an enabler for successful and sustainable digital transformation, which has become even more important amid the global pandemic. Therefore, international cooperation to ensure stable and secure development of cyberspace is all the more crucial. We have decided to take part in IGF 2020 as, first – it brings various communities, regions and leaders together to discuss pressing current issues cyberspace is facing, and, second – it inspires those with decision-making power in both the public and private sectors to take action. We’re honored to be a part of this international dialogue and to contribute to building a secure and trusted cyberspace to make sure it is safe and open for everyone,” comments Eugene Kaspersky.
IGF 2020 will feature over 200 sessions in total, organized around four main areas of focus: data, environment, inclusion and trust. The theme of ‘digital cooperation’ and the United Nations Secretary-General’s roadmap for digital cooperation will also feature prominently. The Forum will also feature a dedicated roundtable for governments to discuss the notion of trust during COVID-19 times.
‘‘Despite the extraordinary challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, it has undoubtedly underlined the importance of everyone having meaningful access to a safe and open internet. The IGF 2020 discussions will engage some of the most prominent leaders and experts in a dialogue on a broad spectrum of people-centered perspectives on how digital technologies and related policies help societies become more resilient,’’ says Chengetai Masango, Head of the UN IGF Secretariat.
Traditionally, the Forum welcomes over 3,000 onsite participants, on average, and a similar number of online attendees. This year, it is expected that these numbers will grow. High-level leadership from governments, international and regional organizations, civil society, academia, businesses and the technical community from all parts of the world are expected to actively participate.
Details of Kaspersky activities at IGF 2020:
● Day Zero Pre-Event – Stop stalkerware: tackling digital stalking helps victims of domestic violence will be held on November 2 at 16:15-17:15 UTC. The event will be held together with members of the Coalition Against Stalkerware as well as Europol, and aims to draw attention to the growing problem of stalkerware, the commercial spyware used in the context of domestic violence. The session will include discussions about how to raise awareness around the subject, how to help users protect themselves and how to identify new fields for multi-stakeholder activities
● A workshop on assurance and transparency in the ICT supply chain security will be held on November 12 at 9:00-10:30 UTC. The event is organized together with EastWest Institute, Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology of Kenya, and the Association of Users of Information Systems in Morocco (AUSIM). The workshop will also feature experts from Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) and CyberSecurity Malaysia – the national cybersecurity specialist agency under the purview of the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia of Malaysia (KKMM). The workshop will facilitate outcome-oriented discussions to gain insights on information and communication technology (ICT) supply chain security, with a focus on how this impacts developing countries and emerging markets.
● Eugene Kaspersky’s keynote speech will take place during a high-level leaders session, dedicated to security implications of the role of internet governance in the age of uncertainty. The event will be held on November 13 at 18:30-20:00 UTC.
The speech will cover the following aspects: priority concerns for the online environment, actions taken to combat cybersecurity threats, stakeholder cooperation for global cybersecurity policies, and how best to support vulnerable and marginalized groups.
● A Kaspersky Online Booth dedicated to increasing trust and accountability in cyberspace and multi-stakeholder best practices will be available in the virtual IGF Village throughout the Forum, starting from November 2. At the booth, online visitors will be able to learn more about Kaspersky’s pioneering international projects, including the Global Transparency Initiative (GTI), the ‘No More Ransom’ project, and the Coalition Against Stalkerware.
Live broadcasts of the high-level sessions will be available at UN Web TV webtv.un.org, the other IGF 2020 events will be streamed via the Forum’s official YouTube channel – youtube.com/user/igf/. The full schedule of this year’s IGF events is available at intgovforum.org/multilingual/igf-2020-schedule/ (access requires registration).
About Kaspersky
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 250,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
About the IGF
The Internet Governance Forum is a global multistakeholder platform that facilitates the discussion of public policy issues pertaining to the internet governance within the framework of the United Nations. It brings people together from various stakeholder and regional groups as equals in global discussions. The IGF was one of the most important outcomes of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) that mandated the United Nations Secretary-General to formally convene the Forum on 18 July 2006. Institutionally, the IGF is supported by the IGF Secretariat placed at the United Nations Office in Geneva and administered by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). The programme of the annual IGF meeting is developed by its Multistakeholder Advisory Group in an open bottom-up manner. So far, fourteen annual meetings of the IGF were hosted by various governments. The 2020 annual meeting of the IGF will be hosted by the United Nations fully online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more at www.intgovforum.org
[1] The IGF 2020 will be held in two phases:
Phase One (November 2-6) will include Day Zero events, introductory sessions for the four main areas of focus, (data, environment, inclusion and trust) as well as open forums, national, sub-regional, regional and youth IGF initiatives (NRIs), dynamic coalition and newcomers sessions.
Phase Two (November 9-17) will include the event’s main sessions, workshops, high-level leader sessions and formal opening and closing sessions.