The more connected our world becomes, the more vigilant we
should be. We have a shared global responsibility to prevent the
Internet from becoming "weaponized" by increasing attacks by
criminal groups and state actors alike. We already have global
organizations to tackle physical emergencies and now we need new ones
to help with their counterparts in cyberspace. They should assist
those in need following a large-scale systemic cyber attacks and they
should bring the international cybersecurity community together to
prevent new attacks.
A CyberPeace Institute, an independent non-profit organization, should
be created to convene and fill three critical gaps in the current
cyber policy ecosystem: (1) investigating attacks against civilians
and civilian infrastructure that cause widespread harm and publishing
peer-reviewed analysis of such attacks; (2) assessing the harm caused
by attacks and how those attacks transgress international norms of
responsible behavior in cyberspace; and, (3) providing security tools
and assistance to affected organizations and individuals to help them
recover and be resilient. The Institute would rely on a robust array
of partnerships with leading civil society, academic, private sector,
and other interested parties to carry out its tripartite mission.