Developing trust and security in cyberspace: Kaspersky unites with Cigref to co-chair Paris Call working group

A leading cybersecurity company Kaspersky together with Cigref, the digital association of major French companies and public administrations, are co-chairing the Working Group 6 (WG6) as part of the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace. The aim of this working group is to develop concrete proposals for solutions to improve the level of security in cyberspace.

Rapid digitalization is transforming our societies and economies. It offers major opportunities for innovation and economic progress simultaneously. However, it also brings risks related to the security of digital infrastructures of companies and organizations. It raises questions of cyber-resilience and trust.

Cigref and Kaspersky believe that it is necessary to develop collaborative efforts between the different actors, users, suppliers, and public institutions, which contribute to strengthen trust in technologies and in ICT supply chains.

The Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, launched by French President Emmanuel Macron in November 2018, is today the largest multi-stakeholder initiative on cybersecurity in the world, uniting more than 1,100 public and private supporters, companies and organizations representing civil society, across all continents. The Paris Call was designed to strengthen trust, security and stability of cyberspace in collaboration with states, local governments, private sector entities and civil society organizations.

As part of the Paris Call, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs decided to launch six working groups to explore opportunities and tools to ensure stability in cyberspace at a global level. The WG6 has a goal to propose concrete tools to the supporters of the Paris Call, to help them improve their cybersecurity levels. This group is co-chaired by Cigref and Kaspersky, with expert support from GEODE, a research center focusing on geopolitics in the datasphere.

"Cigref, a supporter of the Paris Call, supported the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs for the creation of these working groups and is now involved in giving this work an operational dimension." Arnaud Coustillière, Cigref representative for the Paris Call.

"We support the Paris Call, the key multi-stakeholder initiative for the stability in cyberspace. In line with our Global Transparency Initiative (GTI), endorsing the principle 6 on lifecycle security, we will dedicate our efforts, together with industry, technical community, academia and civil society - to the development of concrete tools for enhancing security and resilience of cyberspace." Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky.

"The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs is pleased to be able to count on Cigref and Kaspersky to steer the work of this working group in collaboration with the supporters of the Paris Call. We believe that joint efforts of industry’s actors would help us to enhance state of global cybersecurity." Henri Verdier, Ambassador for the Digital Affairs, France.

The WG6 will address the issue of trust and security by first mapping existing initiatives on the topic of product security and stakeholder accountability. This enables discussions around ICT supply chain security without duplicating global efforts. During its work, the group will explore existing good practices, initiatives and recommendations, such as the OECD policy recommendations on digital security and Geneva Dialogue output document on ‘Security of digital products and services’. This is in addition to other initiatives which set out to identify possible gaps and respective implementation challenges. It will also discuss conclusions and recommendations for further discussion and review by the Paris Call community.

A presentation of the work to the wider Paris Call community will take place at the 2021 Paris Peace Forum. The WG6 is open to all organizations who are supporters of the Paris Call.

To join the group, please contact contact@pariscall.international.

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. Kaspersky has been one of the early signatories of the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace and supported the second edition of the global Paris Peace Forum in 2019.

Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.

About Cigref

Created in 1970, Cigref is a non-profit organisation representing the largest French companies and public administrations, exclusively users of digital solutions and services, which supports its 150 members in their collective thinking on digital issues. Our association works, for the benefit of its members, in favour of a sustainable, responsible and trustworthy digital environment. Learn more at www.cigref.fr.

About the Paris Call

The Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, launched by President Macron in November 2018, promotes a multi-stakeholder approach to the regulation of cyberspace in collaboration with States, private sector entities and civil society organizations. The Paris Call is now the largest international, multi-stakeholder initiative on cybersecurity with 1 100 supporters from all regions of the world. Learn more at https://pariscall.international/en/.