Encryption & Key Management , Governance & Risk Management , Next-Generation Technologies & Secure Development

Cybercrime Battle: Next Steps

After every major terror attack, some government figure will inevitably announce that privacy rights - and using strong crypto to keep people secure - must be sacrificed in the name of security. Many security experts, meanwhile, will continue to remind policymakers that we need strong privacy and crypto now, more than ever.

See Also: Corelight's Brian Dye on NDR's Role in Defeating Ransomware

"We need to remind ourselves that privacy is an absolute right for every individual in the world, it's a human right, enshrined in many constitutions," says Brian Honan, who heads Dublin-based information security firm BH Consulting.

"We have a right to privacy; that should not be surrendered ... simply because it makes life more convenient for the security services to do their job," adds Honan, who also advises the EU's law enforcement intelligence agency, Europol.

Honan says that's not meant to slight law enforcement agencies, but rather a reference to a bigger problem: Many governments have significantly underinvested in the resources required to fight cybercrime and support their cybercrime-fighting law enforcement personnel.

In a video interview at the recent Infosecurity Europe conference in London, Honan also discusses:

• The rise of - and benefits to be gleaned from - police-led intelligence;
• The need for more governments to work together;
• The security versus privacy debate.

Honan is president of Dublin-based cybersecurity firm BH Consulting and the founder of Ireland's first computer emergency response team, IRISS-CERT. He's also a cybersecurity adviser to the EU's law enforcement intelligence agency, Europol.