Effective Cybersecurity Requires Deeper Collaboration between Public and Private Sectors, According to a New Report from The World Economic Forum and BCG

The increasingly networked, digitized, and connected world is vulnerable to cyber threats that can only be addressed by the combined capabilities of the public and private sectors, according to a new report compiled by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Titled, Cyber Resilience: Playbook for Public-Private Collaboration, the report is a tool to facilitate discussions on building the institutions, frameworks, policies, norms, and processes necessary to support collaboration, safeguard our threatened cyberspace, and strengthen cyber resilience.

Improving Dialogue Is Key to Defending Against Risk

Working collaboratively in the cybersecurity space is difficult. Cyber threats are complex, dynamic, and increasingly personal as technology begins to saturate society.  Addressing these threats requires dialogue across industries and competencies, and on subjects from the technical to the ethical. Presently, dialogue between leaders in the public and private sectors is often tense and off target. Policy implementation also varies by national context: every country has its own unique capabilities, vulnerabilities, and priorities. 

“There is no simple, elegant policy solution or silver bullet here. The iterative progress and feedback loop used in software development should be a model for improving policy,” said Dr. Walter Bohmayr, Global Leader of Cybersecurity at BCG. 

A Guide to Intra-State Public-Private Collaboration on Cybersecurity

By analyzing policy topics, identifying thematic policy issues, and providing case studies, the Cyber Resilience Playbook for Public-Private Collaboration helps leaders develop a baseline understanding of the key issues and pros and cons of different policy positions regarding cybersecurity. The policy models discussed in detail include Zero-Days, Vulnerability Liability, Botnet Disruption, Encryption, and ten others.

“The intent of this Playbook is to encourage cooperative dialogue on security and resilience and to move beyond the polarizing rhetoric of the current security debate to action-oriented decision-making which is imperative to meet global cyber challenges,” said Daniel Dobrygowski, Project Lead for Cyber Resilience at the World Economic Forum.

In connecting norms and values to policy positions, the Playbook encourages all actors to move past absolute and rigid positions and toward more nuanced discussions, and presents the implications of policy choices on five key values: security, privacy, economic value, accountability, and fairness. Cyber resilience will continue to be a top-of-mind topic for decision makers, and the Forum intends to remain involved in future efforts in this space in the years to come.