OSCE Office organizes discussion in Yerevan on cyber security threats

YEREVAN, 21 March 2006 - Combating cyber crime and threats to cyber security were the topic of a roundtable discussion, organized today by the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

Experts from the Armenian Task Force on cyber crime and cyber security presented the main challenges in the field and suggestions to improve the situation, recommending as a first step that the country's Parliament ratify the 2001 Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime.

"Cyber security is strategically important for Armenia as the country expands the IT-services sector," said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, the head of the OSCE Office.

"It is vital to protect people and businesses from financial fraud and any attempts to alter, steal or destroy information on a computer system. Inadequate legislation and a lack of technical preparedness make the sector vulnerable. Fighting cyber crime is part of the struggle against organized crime and terrorism. As such, it is an essential component of the OSCE's focus on countering the new threats to security that have arisen in recent years."

The Task Force was created in 2005 on the initiative of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, and includes key national players in the field -- the Defence Ministry, the National Security Service, the Police, the Central Bank, the National Assembly, as well as the Presidential Administration. It helps raise awareness of the issue and advises on ways of improving the legislative basis and operational measures to effectively combat cyber crime.