Bibi van den Berg on the necessity of a Delta Programme Cyber Security
On Monday 9 September, the Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) published its report 'Voorbereidingen op digitale ontwrichting' (Preparing for digital disruption). The report shows that our infrastructure is not secure enough to withstand digital threats and that we are lacking a clear perspective on how to take appropriate action in case things go wrong. Bibi van den Berg, Professor Cyber Security Governance at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) spoke to Dutch newspaper 'het Financieel Dagblad' (FD) about the issue.
Cyber crime is growing significantly when compared to offline crime but detection and enforcement are lagging behind due to a lack of means and people. Bibi van den Berg and Inge Philips-Bryan, partner at Deloitte, say it is time for additional measures. 'We are arguing for a Delta Programme Cyber Security and the appointment of a Cyber Programme Commissioner with similar authority and means as the Delta Programme Commissioner.
Unwanted result
Despite a lot of good initiatives by the government, fighting cyber crime is still very much an uphill battle. With somewhat disappointing results. Van den Berg and Philips-Bryan argue that: 'Dutch cyber security policy is lacking a common vision and clear leadership. It lacks direction and a comprehensive mandate. It also lacks a shared risk analysis on which coordinated implementation of integrated measures can be based. And it lacks the necessary means to take on these challenges.'
Challenging assignment
Making and keeping cyberspace safe is definitely not an easy task, according to Van den Berg and Philips-Bryan. 'It is an international issue with an enormous complexity of threats and actors. To make matters even more complicated, cyberspace is not a public space. Most of the digital infrastructure and content on the internet is owned by private parties.
You can read the full article (in Dutch) on the Financial Dagblad website (log-in required).