Incident Response and Cyber-Diplomacy

When FIRST started some 30 years ago, the Internet was little more than an exotic thing. It was mostly used by academics and engineers. Today, Internet technologies are the fastest growing segments of the global economy, so we are no longer in a purely technical space. States increasingly see the Internet as both an opportunity and a risk. Critical infrastructure, with all its vulnerabilities, is connected to the Internet. There is no doubt that our work is as important as ever. There is also no doubt that our work must be done on a global scale, in an increasingly polarised world. A few years ago, FIRST set out to have a team from every country in the world.

Our members come from many different nations, with many different cultures and political realities. Yet we usually work well together. FIRST's annual conference has a reputation for being a welcoming place for everyone.

Our work and our ability to bring together people from very different backgrounds is beginning to be recognised. Thanks to the work of people like Sherif Hashem, who represents FIRST's position at many of the UN meetings, states are beginning to recognise our ability to bring people together and to help defuse problems before they escalate. Last year, FIRST signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the HD Centre, which specializes in mediation. Since then, FIRST and HD have successfully engaged in several processes aimed at opening channels of communication between conflicting parties. FIRST is most often seen as a place where organisations can meet on neutral ground and work together to protect users.

Feedback from UN diplomats seems to support the perception of FIRST as a neutral, global and inclusive organisation. Ultimately, it's our members who prove in their daily work that we can all work towards the same goal: an Internet that is safe for everyone.

Published on FIRST POST:Apr-Jun 2024