The Cybersecurity Tech Accord is proud to launch today our Year Eight Annual Report showcasing the most important initiatives of our coalition from our eight year in existence.
The global cybersecurity landscape is entering a period of profound transformation. Over the past year accelerating technological change, most notably the rapid advancement of AI, has reshaped both the opportunities and the risks facing the digital ecosystem. These tools are already strengthening cyber defense but they are also lowering the cost and increasing the scale of malicious activity, enabling threat actors to operate with greater speed, scale, and sophistication.
At the same time the strategic role of cyberspace in geopolitical competition continues to intensify. Cyber espionage operations are growing in scale and complexity and cyber capabilities are routinely integrated into military operations. As a result the boundary between cyber conflict and broader security dynamics is blurred, raising urgent questions about how existing norms are applied, how escalation is managed, and how stability can be preserved.
Against this backdrop international cooperation is more important than ever. The convening of the UN Global Mechanism on ICTs in the Context of International Security and other international cybersecurity cooperation efforts reflects a recognition that cybersecurity requires sustained, institutionalized dialogue. Yet this alone is insufficient, global efforts also need clear pathways for implementation, meaningful stakeholder participation, and practical mechanisms for cooperation or the global cyber community will fall short of delivering the decrease in malicious cyber behavior that is urgently needed.
It is in this challenging context that the Cybersecurity Tech Accord has continued to exemplify the unique and significant role of the technology industry as far more than a provider of technology – a partner in shaping and advocating for a more stable and secure digital environment.
Our work is guided by the core conviction that protecting cyberspace requires a rules-based order, grounded in responsible behavior, restraint, and cooperation across governments, industry and civil society.
Over the past year our initiatives have increasingly focused on translating this conviction into actionable priorities. Through our work on agentic AI we have emphasized that technological innovation must be accompanied by governance frameworks that embed security by design, ensure accountability, and preserve human oversight in high-risk contexts. At the international level we have continued to advocate for stronger multistakeholder engagement in UN processes, recognizing that effective cybersecurity frameworks cannot be developed by governments alone.
We are also proud to continue our work on greater gender inclusivity in cybersecurity through our annual International Women’s Day campaign. We are grateful to H.E. Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations, and the Permanent Mission of El Salvador to the United Nations, for their involvement in the Tech Accord’s “Breaking Barriers in Tech Careers” event.
We have also sought to address structural gaps in the global cybersecurity ecosystem. Our calls to strengthen the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) Program highlight the need for sustainable, shared stewardship of critical cybersecurity infrastructure. Our advocacy for international regulatory alignment reflects the growing risk that fragmented policies will undermine collective resilience. And through our continued engagement in initiatives such as the Pall Mall Process, we have called for greater transparency, oversight, and accountability in addressing the proliferation of cyber intrusion capabilities.
These efforts are grounded in a broader assessment: despite important progress, the overall state of international cybersecurity continues to deteriorate. Our 2026 Cybersecurity Thermometer now stands at 95 degrees Celsius which is an indication that the pace of malicious activity, combined with geopolitical tensions and technological disruption, is pushing the global system toward greater instability.
This trajectory is not inevitable but reversing it will require a step change in how stakeholders work together.
Looking ahead, the Cybersecurity Tech Accord is focused on advancing a positive, actionable agenda for global cybersecurity cooperation that moves beyond high-level principles to identify concrete areas where joint action can deliver real impact. This includes strengthening protection for critical infrastructure, improving supply chain security, expanding coordinated vulnerability disclosure, building global incident response capacity, and enabling more effective cross-border cooperation.
Our objective is clear: to help shape an international cybersecurity environment that is stable, open, and secure, where states exercise restraint, industry upholds its responsibility to defend users, and all stakeholders work together to reduce harm and strengthen collective resilience. Achieving this will require sustained leadership, deeper cooperation, and a renewed commitment to turning shared principles into practical outcomes.
The Cybersecurity Tech Accord Secretariat