Fostering global collaboration to address cybersecurity challenges

Cybersecurity has become a paramount concern for governments, businesses, and individuals alike. The complexity of the technological landscape, coupled with the evolving nature of cyber threats, necessitates a collaborative approach to address these challenges effectively.

Assuming there is nothing that can be done to combat the cyber security and data privacy challenge is a step in the wrong direction. According to a Verizon’s 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report, 97 percent of data breaches could have been avoided with the implementation of simple countermeasures. This statistic underscores the potential for significant risk reduction while highlighting the urgency of our collective responsibility.

By implementing proactive measures, governments and multi-national organizations, such as Huawei can significantly mitigate cyber security risks.  The key lies in our shared commitment to transparency, openness, and determination. As smartphones, cloud computing, and global app stores proliferate, our technological ecosystem grows increasingly intricate, necessitating a comprehensive approach to security.

Cyber security is not merely a technical issue; it is a multifaceted challenge encompassing policies, technologies, behaviors, standards, guidelines and laws that cut across multiple sectors and societal levels. In order to adequately address cyber security issues, the private and public sectors must align their goals within a risk-based framework that prioritizes data integrity and security.

Huawei believes collaboration on cyber security must transcend geographical, political and competitive boundaries. While some may view it as a competitive edge, the reality is the impact of not collaborating provides the bad actors with many opportunities to exploit the weak links in the global cyber security chain.

Existing collaborative forums, while valuable, often fall short of providing a truly united front. In this context governments must take the lead to establish an integrated governance to drive comprehensive and collaborative approaches– Huawei commits itself to supporting such an endeavor.

The current cybersecurity landscape suffers from a lack of trust and cooperation among stakeholders. As equal stakeholders in finding solutions, technology users and vendors must set a better example. Industry and governments must work together to develop the right policy framework to enhance cyber security.

Our collective effort should be guided by principles that provide a framework for coordinated action, driving progress on an aligned strategic priorities and goals, and time-based milestones. We must acknowledge that initial commitment may vary due to trust issues, geopolitical considerations, and competitive dynamics. However, these factors cannot become excuses for inaction.

Some key principles to guide our effort should include;

Embracing the global nature of cyber challenges in governance and legislation.

Harmonizing international standards while respecting cultural differences.

Fostering public-private partnerships to bolster our defenses.

Implementing risk-based standards for ICT vendors.

Adopting global verification methodologies for product conformity.

Basing security improvements on evidence rather than speculation.

Prioritizing basic cybersecurity hygiene to raise the bar for attackers.

In summary at Huawei, the believe is that, the resolution of cyber security and data privacy protection challenges is a shared responsibility. We must unite in an atmosphere of openness and trustworthiness each contributing to improving knowledge, processes and products as well as actively supporting the development and implementation of international standards and best practices for a more secure digital world.