International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats
The International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT) is a not-for-profit comprehensive global public-private partnership alliance against cyber threats. IMPACT is positioned to assist partner countries focusing on developing nations in broadening their cybersecurity capabilities and capacity.
IMPACT is a politically neutral platform, bringing together governments, academia, industry leaders, international organisation, think tanks and cybersecurity experts to enhance the global community's capacity to prevent, defend against and respond to cyber threats.
The IMPACT initiative was officially announced by Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia during the closing ceremony of the 15th World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) 2006, held in the Austin, Texas, United States. In the beginning IMPACT was known as “International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber-Terrorism”, and later during WCSS in 2008, Kuala Lumpur, the word “Terrorism” from the name was changed to “Threats” and now it is known as the “International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats”. IMPACT’s Global Headquarters is based in Cyberjaya, Malaysia
== HEADQUARTERS==
IMPACT’s Global Headquarters was launched on 20 May 2009 by Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia and witnessed by Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak, current Prime Minister of Malaysia and Dr. Hamadoun Touré, the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
IMPACT's Global Headquarters envelops seven acre estate near Kuala Lumpur with a current infrastructure of over 58,000 square feet. Modelled after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, United States, IMPACT operates a comprehensive Global Response Centre (GRC) designed to be the foremost cyber threat resource centre in the world. As the main hub of IMPACT, GRC is fully equipped with a crisis room, IT and communications facilities, a fully-functional Security Operations Centre (SOC), fully secure data centre, on-site broadcasting centre and VIP viewing gallery. GRC plays a pivotal role in securing the objectives of International Telecommunications Union’s Global Cybersecurity Agenda (ITU’s GCA) by placing the technical measures to combat newly evolved cyber threats.
Through the GRC, IMPACT provides the global community with network early warnings system (NEWS), expert locator, team management, remediation, automated threat analysis system, trend libraries, visualization of global threats, country-specific threats, incident and case management, trend monitoring and analysis, knowledge base, reporting, and resolution finder among others.
IMPACT’s Global Headquarters is also the physical and operational home of the Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA), a framework for international cooperation initiated by the ITU. The GCA is aimed at finding strategic solutions to boost confidence and security in an increasingly networked information society.
Collaboration with the ITU
On 3 September 2008, IMPACT and the ITU inked into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which IMPACT’s Global Headquarters in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, effectively became the physical and operational home of the GCA. Under this landmark collaboration, IMPACT provides ITU’s 191 Member States with the expertise, facilities and resources to effectively address cyber threats.
Advisory board
IMPACT’s International Advisory Board consists of international luminaries in the field of cybersecurity and its industry partners who are globally influential. Current International Advisory Board members are:
- Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the ITU
- Steve Chang, Founder & Chairman of Trend Micro
- Ayman Hariri, Chairman of Oger Systems
- Mikko Hypponen, Chief security officer of F-Secure
- Eugene Kaspersky, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kaspersky Lab
- Prof. Fred Piper, Cryptologist, Founder of the Information Security Group at Royal Holloway, University of London
- John W. Thompson, Chairman of the Board, Symantec Corporation
Funding
The international community, both in the public and private spheres – has given its wide-ranging support to IMPACT from its inception.
- The Malaysian Government provided US $13m in seed funding with a view to establish IMPACT’s central headquarters equipped with the best facilities for international community
- F-Secure has contributed its expertise in establishing IMPACT’s Global Response Centre –designed as the first line of defence against cyber threats
- Kaspersky Lab provided technical expertise in setting up IMPACT’s Network Early Warning System (NEWS) in the Global Response Centre
- SANS Institute and EC-Council has given a grant of US$1m each to IMPACT to create scholarships schemes for developing nations that will help enhance and build capacity and capability in cybersecurity
- Symantec Corporation assisted by establishing a Centre of Excellence for IMPACT’s Government Security Scorecard
See also
External links
- Official web site
- Speech by YAB Dato' Seri Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia during WCIT 2008, Kuala Lumpur
- Tackling cyberthreats, championing cyberpeace
Video Clips
- IMPACT's Official Launch Video
- CNBC's interview with IMPACT Chairman on African cybersecurity
- Bloomberg's interview with IMPACT Chairman in Singapore for their Asia Confidential program
- BBC World's interview on IMPACT with the head of the UN's International Telecommunication Union
- Inauguration of IMPACT Global Headquarters
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