As cyber crime continues to grow as a lucrative enterprise, it is becoming increasingly imperative that global efforts be taken to combat it. Cooperation is paramount because unlike most types of crimes, cybercrime is not restricted by borders. There is nothing stopping criminals from one nation from attacking an organization within another.

The first step that should be taken would be to establish an international standard to enforcing cyber laws. The more countries that agree to establishing a standard in how crimes of this nature will be handled, the fewer safe havens will be available for cyber criminals. By establishing a legal standard, it can be assured that all participating countries are treating cybercrime seriously (Schjølberg, 2008). Unfortunately, this effort would have to be nearly all inclusive, as any country that opts to not conform to the standards set will instantly become a operational base for cyber crime.

Similarly, the standardization of cybersecurity practices on a government level would help combat cybercrime. Developing a framework for governments to utilize when standing up or developing cyber security organizations will allow practices to become more uniform on an international level (BSA International Cybersecurity Policy Framework, n.d.). Once more countries are operating in a similar manner, cooperation will become more practical.

Finally, the participation of intelligence agencies from each country will be paramount. These intelligence agencies often discover security vulnerabilities and hoard them for their personal use rather than reporting the vulnerability to venders. For example, a far-reaching ransomware attack in 2017 was developed based on a vulnerability initially discovered by the United States National Security Agency that was being utilized instead of reported, and later leaked (Increasing International Cooperation in Cybersecurity and Adapting Cyber Norms, 2018). Had they opted to report the vulnerability to Microsoft, though they would no longer be able to use it to the advantage of the intelligence community, the attack could have been prevented on a global scale. Unfortunately, this will require nations to be thinking for the global good rather than for what is better for an individual country, or an organization within that country.

Resources:

BSA International Cybersecurity Policy Framework (n.d.). BSA: The Software Alliance.Retrieved from: https://bsacybersecurity.bsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/BSA_cybersecurity-policy.pdf

Increasing International Cooperation in Cybersecurity and Adapting Cyber Norms (2018). Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/report/increasing-international-cooperation-cybersecurity-and-adapting-cyber-norms

Schjølberg, Stein. Report Of The Chairman Of HLEG (2008). ITU Global Cybersecurity Agenda. Retrieved from https://www.itu.int/en/action/cybersecurity/Documents/gca-chairman-report.pdf