OSCE holds fourth annual meeting of national cybersecurity points of contact in Vienna

On 10 to 12 June, the OSCE Transitional Threats Department gathered 86 policy and technical cybersecurity points of contact from 51 participating States. This is the fourth annual meeting of national representatives who are part of the OSCE’s Point of Contact network established in line with confidence-building measure number 8, one of the 16 cyber/ICT security confidence-building measures agreed upon by all OSCE participating States.

The meeting served as a venue to further enhance the network as an active community of policy makers and technical experts who proactively strengthened ties between national institutions, engaged in discussions on the future of the network and contributed to regional cyber stability.

“With 98% of participating States having nominated at least one policy or technical focal point, confidence-building measure No. 8 remains the most implemented CBM from the 16 cyber/ICT security confidence-building measures.” reminded Ms. Szilvia Tóth, Cyber Security Officer at the OSCE Transnational Threats Department. “It is not simply a virtual phonebook but a living community of cyber practitioners, used to share information and provide mutual assistance.”

Participants engaged in an interactive discussion on how the OSCE points of contact network could be further developed. They noted the important role of the OSCE Secretariat in maintaining the network and ensuring its proper functioning. Discussions also touched upon the broad recognition of such networks as a useful tool to support stability in cyberspace, with the United Nations recently launching a similar initiative at the global level. Regional experiences in this area are therefore increasingly valuable and should continue to be strengthened.

A practical exercise, facilitated by the National Cybersecurity Centre of the Netherlands, discussed the role of national cybersecurity agencies in exploring the concept of cyber ecosystems and applying them to some well-known best practices. Through this exercise, participants gained a clearer understanding of essential features of their own ecosystems and could compare them to those of other states.

“The exercise of plotting cyber ecosystems sparked some good discussions and that was what I was hoping for. Not to judge, but to compare and find natural fits in our cyber ecosystems and best practices.” Mr. Jurrien Norder, Lead of the international team, National Cybersecurity Centre of Netherlands.

The annual meeting was organized as a part of the “Strengthening the work of the CBM 8 Points of Contact crisis communication network” project, with the financial support of the Netherlands and the United States of America.