BELGACOM : A unique coalition of public authorities, the academic world and the business sector joining forces against cybercrime

In Belgium, hundreds of thousands of computers become infected every year. The cost of cybercrime is estimated at EUR 3.5 billion, which is more than 1% of the GDP. Yet the fight against cybercrime is being conducted in a highly fragmented way. Despite many well-meant initiatives, everyone is currently still waging their own war against it. However, progress in this field can only be made if all parties involved work together: the companies, the academic world and the public authorities.

Today, Proximus, VBO-FEB, CERT.be, B-CCENTRE and Solvay Brussels School are establishing the Cyber Security Coalition. The coalition will initially bring together more than 50 key players from the academic world, the business sector and the public authorities to share knowledge and experiences and jointly obtain an overall picture of the cybersecurity landscape.

• Our commitment towards cyber security

The focus of this coalition will be on cross-pollination and knowledge sharing, raising awareness among citizens and companies and issuing recommendations for a more efficient policy. Such a concentration of forces from the business sector, the academic world and the public authorities will give new impetus to the digital economy and put Belgium on the map as a cybersecurity-aware country.

Between January and June 2014, CERT.be received reports of more than 751,000 cases of infected computers in Belgium. During that semester, the team received an average of 614 incident reports per month, this is 80% higher than in 2013. Moreover, a recent survey of the VOB-FEB shows that 66% of the companies questioned do not have a clear overall view of what a good, efficient approach to cyber security involves.  75% feel unclear about the regulations and the competent authorities.