21 December 2016

The following is summary of the most recent IEEE Global Internet Governance Monitor report. To access the full reports containing additional details and other news items, please join the Internet Technology Policy Community on IEEE Collabratec.

The Italian banking sector have come together to create a specialised Certfin cybersecurity response team. The team will help to protect the country’s financial sector, whilst developing new methods to combat evolving hacker technology.

In the UK defence contractor BAE Systems has announced that it will allocate a third of its incoming graduate class to its cyber security department. The move was allegedly prompted by a survey of business heads who emphasised their cyber security concerns.

The EU Commission has placed increasing pressure on Bulgaria to appoint a new Commissioner, despite originally holding a relaxed view of the replacement process. The change was forced when Bulgarian Commissioner Goergieva left for the World Bank in October, the ensuing reshuffle means that if Bulgaria acts quickly they could receive the digital economy and society portfolio.

In the United States, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler has announced that he will leave the FCC on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration as President. The decision by Wheeler will leave the FCC with a 2-1 majority for Republicans after Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel was refused another term in post.

The Republican National Committee have this week revealed the lengths the body went to avoid the same cyber attacks that befell the Democratic party. Amongst the methods used were a simple counter phishing tool that blocked hackers from accesing the RNC’s network.

The Congressional Committee on Oversight and Reform has reported that reforms are needed to monitor the use of Stingray surveillance tools on domestic targets.

In Thailand this week the Government has pushed through further internet controls to ensure greater control of online content. The changes have led to increasing concerns for censorship amongst national and international commentators.

In India the telecoms regulator TRAI has suggested in a new paper that free data be made available to rural citizens in order to boost India’s digital connectivity. The report on free data is not believed to compromise the organisation’s upcoming net neutrality consultation response.

The Indonesian Government has this week announced a new partnership with South Korea as it looks to develop its cyber security capabilities. The move comes in response to a range of cyber attacks that have affected government and private institutions in Indonesia in the past.

Elsewhere in the World, the SWIFT money transfer system has again been used to facilitate a hack of an international bank, this time Arbank, the third largest banking institution in Turkey. The cyber attack is not believed to have compromised any customer data, but the financial loss for the bank has yet to be disclosed.

In institutional news, EuroPol have announced a new drive to combat ransomware attacks through a collaboration with Intel Security and Kaspersky lab.

Elsewhere ICANN have announced that Alan Greenberg (Canada) and Leon Felipe Sanchez Ambia (Mexico) have been chosen for the next stage of the selection process to be the newest ICANN board director.

Finally, ENISA has this week published a report highlighting the work needed at airports to improve their cyber security. The report follows several cyberattacks this year on commercial airlines which led to the international grounding of several air fleets.