By Anup Ghosh, chief strategist at Sophos and founder/CEO of Invincea…
For an eternity, security leaders have emphasized the need for private companies and government agencies to work together at fighting online threats and bolstering defenses.
Entities like the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) were formed for that very purpose. Think of it as infosec’s Justice League or Avengers – an ensemble of heroes joining forces to fight evil.
Sophos is now officially part of that ensemble, joining the effort in May.
The GCA is unique as it spans public and private sectors and across borders to catalyze efforts to combat malicious cyber activities that introduce systemic risk. The GCA takes on challenges that no organization or community can deal with alone.
The alliance was founded by a partnership of law enforcement and research organizations focused on combating systemic cyber risk in real, measurable ways. Founding partners include the City of London Police, Manhattan District Attorney and the Center for Internet Security.
Through its partnerships with companies and the public sector, the GCA identifies projects and implements solutions for individuals and small businesses that address risk. The GCA focuses on cybersecurity problems that can be measurably improved for all – particularly underserved segments such as individuals and small businesses that otherwise lack awareness and expertise in cybersecurity risks.
For example, it launched an initiative to drive adoption of DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance) to prevent email-based phishing. Phishing continues to be the most significant cause of account takeover and “CEO fraud” – spoofed emails that convince users and executives to hand over account credentials and wire money inadvertently to illegitimate parties.
DMARC addresses phishing by authenticating emails from a company or any organization’s domain, while discarding and reporting fraudulent or spoofed messages.
To date, GCA has recorded over 1,100 organizations that have gone through the DMARC set up based on its efforts. For more information, see dmarc.globalcyberalliance.org.
Sophos is excited to join the Global Cyber Alliance in partnership with other leading companies and organizations because we believe the internet must be secure and resilient for all to use.
Though we recognize no single company or government can solve the systemic risks associated with cyber threats, GCA provides a clear strategy for tackling these problems.
We’re proud to partner with the GCA on this noble mission.