Report on the Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCCS) 2015

The RIPE NCC participated in the Global Conference on CyberSpace (GCCS) 2015, hosted by the Dutch government in The Hague on 16-17 April. Following events in London (2011), Budapest (2012) and Seoul (2013), this fourth GCCS brought together a broad group of stakeholders to discuss cybersecurity and to share information and experiences.

Many of the discussions focused on the need for public-private cooperation to successfully fight cybercrime and mitigate threats to the security and stability of the Internet, such as Denial of Service Attacks. Several speakers highlighted the responsibility of all users to ensure they don't cause harm to others by keeping systems up-to-date and implementing security measures such as BCP38.

Recognising the importance of sharing best current practices, many participants stressed the need for more human and institutional capacity building in a variety of areas. This includes sharing information and experience, and where possible seeking to align national legislation to more effectively deal with cross-border criminal activity.

In a dedicated session on Internet governance participants discussed the importance and viability of the multistakeholder model in a cybersecurity context, with speakers stressing the diverse roles played by different stakeholders groups.

During the conference the Dutch government announced the establishment of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), which will aim to help developing nations with capacity building via funding and coordination to take advantage of existing resources. The RIPE NCC will look at the potential of such a group to help us expand the reach of capacity-building programs such as the IPv6 Roadshow.

Alongside the GFCE launch, the Dutch government also contributed a guideline document on responsible disclosure, produced by the National Cyber Security Centre. The document is available from the NCSC website.

At the close of the conference, a broad coalition of technical community members, including the RIPE NCC, issued a statement commending the commitments expressed in the Chair's statement to a multistakeholder, collaborative approach to cybersecurity.