Cybersecurity in the Global Ecosystem

According to Steve Purser of ENISA, ‘International collaboration is essential. Security within national boundaries doesn’t make sense. Everything is globally connected. A European approach doesn’t make sense unless aligned to the approach of international partners’ (SDA Report 2012). Thus the EU’s construction of its cybersecurity ecosystem is embedded within, bounded by, and inexorably connected to the evolving global ecosystem of cybersecurity governance, and more broadly, Internet governance. The EU has emphasised in its Internal Security Strategy (November 2010) and the European Guidelines and Principles for Internet Resilience document (March 2011) the importance of working in partnership with global partners to address the civilian and military aspects of cybersecurity challenges. The global interconnectedness of the Internet ecosystem means that threats can emanate from any source around the world, which in turn requires solutions and policies that are borderless. The vulnerability of the Internet, and the interdependence between networks, information systems and individuals, makes it impossible for any single actor to assess and respond to cyber threats and risks. Moreover, national responses alone cannot be effective given the integration between electronic, economic and political networks across the globe, and in order to achieve this there must be a step-change in the coordination of approaches not only downwards, but also upward and outward to institutions, networks and actors, technical and political, that have a role to play in constructing security resilience within the many different aspects of cybersecurity.