The Biden White House appears determined not to miss a beat to rally worldwide support and resolve to combat cyber terrorism.
Vice president Harris last week committed the U.S. to sign on to the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, and Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technology, huddled with with European Union officials, members of the European Parliament and the North Atlantic Council at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels.
French President Emmanuel Macron launched the Paris Call in 2018. The initiative now includes 95 governments, nearly 350 international, civil society and public sector organizations and some 600 private sector entities.
The Paris Call could be welcome news for MSSPs that support end-customers across multiple country borders. Indeed, the Paris Call could help MSSPs to embrace "international cyber norms," while also empowering MSSPs to more rapidly and more deeply engage government leaders when appropriate.
United States and the Paris Call: More Details
In an official statement, the State Department said the nation’s decision to support the Paris Call “reflects the Administration’s pledge to renew America’s engagement with the international community, including on cyber issues. We are committed to working alongside our allies and partners to uphold established global norms in cyberspace and ensure accountability for states that engage in destructive, disruptive, or destabilizing cyber activity.”
U.S. support of the Paris Call “does not mark a change in U.S. Government policy, but rather reflects our continuing commitment to act responsibly and partner with like-minded states to promote stability in cyberspace,” the State Department said.
The move to join the Paris Call and Neuberger’s presence in Brussels are tied to a stepped up strategy by the Administration to bring cybersecurity to the world’s center stage. Both have as their backdrop President Biden’s cybersecurity-centric executive order last May focused on improving the nation’s cyber stance, threat intelligence sharing, and cyber attack response efforts, along with plans announced last month to open a Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy to promote international cyberspace security, international digital policy and digital freedom.
In addition, included in the $1.2 billion infrastructure plan passed by Congress and awaiting Biden’s signature is some $2 billion set aside for cybersecurity infrastructure. The legislation allocates $21 million for the national cyber director’s budget and creates a $100 million Cyber Response and Recovery Fund over the next five years.
In affirming U.S. support for the Paris Call, Harris was among a group of international leaders and officials attending the opening ceremony of the Paris Peace Forum, France’s annual event on global multilateralism.
“Gathered here tonight — leaders of government, business, and civil society — at the start of this new era, we are all pioneers, standing together in the dynamism of the present, on the brink of the unknown,” Harris said in remarks at a panel discussion on digital and technology challenges in Paris. (via The Hill) “It is up to us — all of us — to realize the opportunities of technology and minimize the threats. In a world that is more interconnected and interdependent, let us go forward together,” she said.
Neuberger’s trip ran along the same lines as did Harris’ overture to “build international cooperation to tackle cyber threats,” said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.
