BT becomes first telco to share data with Interpol

BT’s Mark Hughes (left) and Interpol’s Silvino Schlickmann © Interpol

BT’s Mark Hughes (left) and Interpol’s Silvino Schlickmann © Interpol

  • Telco will share data with the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation
  • Focusing on data relating to cybercrime trends, cyber-threats and malicious attacks
  • Calls for greater cooperation across public and private sectors
  • Recent operation uncovered 9,000 C2 servers used for DDoS attacks

BT today announced that it has become the first telco to sign a data exchange agreement with international police organisation INTERPOL, as part of its efforts to combat the growing incidence of global cybercrime. The accord provides a framework for threat information exchange focusing on data relating to criminal trends online, emerging and known cyber-threats and malicious attacks.

The UK telco’s threat intelligence experts will provide the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) with their knowledge and insight into the evolving global threat landscape, helping the police organisation in its efforts to identify and take action against cyber-criminals operating around the world.

“The scale and complexity of today’s cyber-threat landscape means cooperation across all sectors is essential if we are to effectively combat this global phenomenon,” said Noboru Nakatani, executive director of the IGCI. “INTERPOL’s agreement with BT is an important step in our continued efforts to ensure law enforcement worldwide has access to the information they need to combat these evolving cyber threats.”

Earlier this year, BT was one of seven international companies with security expertise to provide assistance for a major operation to combat cybercrime in South East Asia. BT’s threat intelligence and investigation team provided information on regional threats, including data relating to local hactivist groups and phishing sites. The operation reportedly uncovered nearly 9,000 command and control (C2) servers, which are typically used to launch Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and spread malware, ransomware and spam. Hundreds of compromised websites, including government portals, were also discovered as a result of the investigations.

“Tackling cybercrime requires a collective, global response where the public and private sectors work hand-in-hand,” said Mark Hughes, CEO of BT Security. “BT’s security expertise will help INTERPOL to identify cyber-criminals and hold them to account, as we jointly develop our understanding of the challenges that we and other organisations face in the battle against cyber-attacks.”

A recent KPMG cyber security report commissioned by BT identified five stages that businesses go through during their journey towards leadership in cyber security. The report concluded that to reach the final stage (which it calls “True Leadership”) businesses need to reach out to the wider community by exchanging data and expertise with their peers and public sector organisations.

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