HONG KONG – The first INTERPOL Information Security Conference, co-hosted by the world police body and Hong Kong Police, opened today with the aim of providing law enforcement representatives, industry leaders and academic experts worldwide a platform to collectively address the issue of information security.
The three-day international conference (15-17 September), entitled “Global Co-operation today for InfoSec risks tomorrow”, brings together some 300 delegates from more than 50 countries to address the prevention and detection of high-tech crimes, including virus attacks and cyber-terrorism, which threaten national economies and global security, as well as key issues relating to personal data management and security and police communications networks.
In his keynote address, INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble called for law enforcement worldwide to develop an international identity verification system which he said INTERPOL was ideally placed to co-ordinate against ‘the very concrete security threat’ of cybercrime.
“Considering the anonymity of cyberspace, cybercrime may in fact be one of the most dangerous criminal threats ever. A vital component in fighting transnational crime must therefore include the policing of information security and the provision of secure communication channels for police worldwide based on common standards,” said Mr Noble.
In this respect the head of INTERPOL highlighted the world police body’s role in developing international information security standards, whether through its global I-24/7 secure police communications system, or INTERPOL’s e-ID Smart Card, produced in partnership with Entrust, which will allow officers from any of its 188 National Central Bureaus to communicate securely from virtually any fixed or mobile location in the world.
“As the largest international law enforcement organization, INTERPOL is ideally placed to create bridges between the police community and information security professionals worldwide, and thereby to co-ordinate the development of global police information security standards,” said Secretary General Noble.
At the conference opening, Hong Kong’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Tang King-shing, said the conference promoted mutual co-operation in the increasingly fast-paced world of information.
Quoting a Chinese proverb, ‘When people are of one mind and heart, they can move Mount Tai’, he stressed: “To shake a mountain may be a big task, but it is our goal. To deal with InfoSec risks, we need global co-operation. Together we can achieve great things.
“Besides providing a platform to exchange good practices and valuable experiences, the conference will be a great opportunity to understand common threats faced by different regions of the world and to forge partnerships in identifying solutions," said Hong Kong's Commissioner of Police.
Keynote speakers on the first day of the conference also included Mr Christopher Painter, Senior Director of Cyber Security, US National Security Council, and Mr Baoli Qiu, Deputy Director General, Network Security Bureau, Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China.
The conference will follow two separate tracks, a management stream and a technical one, to accommodate the differing areas of expertise of delegates as they examine specific case studies and outline response strategies on information protection and security in the 21st century.