While cybersecurity can be thought of in limited scope, it is truly an international issue. Emerging nations, international organizations and digital systems right here in the U.S. need to be concerned with issues related to cybersecurity on a global scale. We are a connected world and for the security of our enterprises we need to all work together in developing effective defenses against those with malicious intent. – Dr. Jane LeClaire
As the above quote eloquently states, cybersecurity is an international issue. For a connected enterprise, the potential for serious risk lies within its global supply chain and understanding the cyber policies of countries from which trade partners and suppliers operate is a step that can be taken to address and thwart potential threats.
To help in this endeavor, the UNIDIR’s (United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research) Cyber Policy Portal is an interactive reference tool that visualizes cybersecurity policy profiles of all 193 UN Member States as well as regional and internal organizations. The portal provides summaries of key documents, agencies, legislation, and agreements. You can browse or select UN Member States from the map and/or search up to three to compare, which is an extremely helpful feature. Documents found in the various Member State profiles are organized via four categories:
- Cybersecurity Policy (strategy, implementation frameworks)
- Structure (agencies)
- Legal Framework (legislation)
- Cooperation (UN processes, bilateral and multilateral agreements)
The data provided in the Portal, which is compiled via publicly available online sources, is cited and linked directly to the original source to ensure that it is verifiable. According to UNIDIR, “every effort was made to trace information back to official documentation disseminated by the State or intergovernmental organization.”
