The aim of Microsoft’s new Cybersecurity Policy Framework is to provide the building blocks and to showcase best practices from a range of different organizations from around the world. Microsoft’s rationale is that cyberattacks have become increasingly widespread, both in occurrence and intensity, over the past few years. Such attacks come not only from malicious groups; they also arise from rogue states.
Consequently, this environment has made it very difficult for national policymakers to construct appropriate laws in order to combat these emerging threats. To assist policymakers in their battle against cybercrime, Microsoft has released a white paper titled “Cybersecurity Policy Framework“.
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The approach to the paper and building blocks is all about learning lessons from the past. Microsoft recommend that nations coming online, and building their cybersecurity infrastructures, should not “be burdened with the stumbling blocks that characterized previous generations of cybersecurity policies.”
The paper focuses upon:
National strategies for cybersecurity.
How to establish a national cyber agency.
How to develop and update cybercrime laws.
How to develop and update critical infrastructure protections.
International strategies for cybersecurity.
In the paper, Microsoft states: “The world is poised on the threshold of a new era of possibility and risk due to new technologies and their increasing ubiquity in our families, businesses and governments. As such, governments are increasingly feeling the pressure to protect services that relate to national security, citizen welfare, public health, etc., when they are online, as well as offline.”
However, there are mitigation steps that can be taken: “Faced with an incredibly complex subject, they are forced to dedicate substantial time and resources to building new frameworks almost from scratch, all the while leaving themselves, their citizens and local businesses exposed to the growing range of threats…This Cybersecurity Policy Framework aims to address this challenge.”
The solution is centered on a cybersecurity policy framework and Microsoft’s Cybersecurity Policy Framework contains national and international strategies for cybersecurity, along with various other tips. This is one designed to protects fundamental principles like privacy and civil liberties, encourages innovation and progress, and effectively tackles the growing range of cyber-threats. Putting this together requires co-operation and understanding between governments, citizens, businesses and organizations.
