Today, the Cybersecurity Tech Accord welcomed nine new companies, bringing the total to 69 signatories committed to improving the security of cyberspace. Capgemini, Contrast Security, Fractal Industries, G DATA, Mercado Libre, SONDA, StackPath, TAD GROUP and ThreatModeler Software, Inc. give new impetus to the pledge to protect users and customers everywhere. The expansion gives the agreement a truly global reach, extending the ongoing dialogue among signatories to South America, with companies from Argentina and Chile expressing a commitment to stronger cybersecurity. As a result, the expansion broadens and deepens the group’s expertise, adding to the variety of sectors and technologies that characterize the signatory community.
“In an increasingly interconnected world, cybersecurity has become one of the biggest concerns for businesses and governments. Acting alone, every company, no matter how big, will struggle to make a real impact. There is a need for a worldwide perspective, for common values and coordinated actions. The Cybersecurity Tech Accord is an important step forward in this regard,” said Steve Wanklin, Group Chief Cybersecurity Officer, Capgemini.
By joining the agreement, the signatories agree to commitments in four areas.
Stronger defense
The companies will mount a stronger defense against cyberattacks. As part of this, recognizing that everyone deserves protection, the companies pledged to protect all customers globally regardless of the motivation for attacks online.
No offense
The companies will not help governments launch cyberattacks against innocent citizens and enterprises and will protect against tampering or exploitation of their products and services through every stage of technology development, design and distribution.
Capacity building
The companies will do more to empower developers and the people and businesses that use their technology, helping them improve their capacity for protecting themselves. This may include joint work on new security practices and new features the companies can deploy in their individual products and services.
Collective action
The companies will build on existing relationships and together establish new formal and informal partnerships with industry, civil society and security researchers to improve technical collaboration, coordinate vulnerability disclosures, share threats and minimize the potential for malicious code to be introduced into cyberspace.
“The fight against cybercrime has become a task for society as a whole and is becoming increasingly important in a digitized world. As a German IT security company, G DATA naturally supports this initiative for digital security,“ said Hendrik Flierman, Global Sales Director at G DATA.
Since forming the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, the signatories have supported initiatives on email and routing security, and implementing Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) in their own operations, among others. Additionally, the group has forged coordinate with like-minded organizations such as the Global Cyber Alliance, the Internet Society, and the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE).
As the group expands, we expect the pace of activity to continue unabated. By December 2018, the Cybersecurity Tech Accord will, among others:
- Continue hosting its webinar series, which kicked off with an introduction to cloud computing presented by Microsoft on Monday, 5 November (replay available here). The next webinar on protecting your hardware will take place on Monday 17 December and will be presented by HP Inc.
- Host the event, Building the path to a secure cyberspace in Brussels, on Monday, 19 November, in partnership with the Global Cyber Alliance to present some of its latest initiatives with a focus on email security and responsible vulnerability handling.
- Participate in the NICE Conference 2018, sharing ideas and best practices on the ways to overcome the cybersecurity skill gap challenge.