McAfee Inc. unveiled a multipoint plan to target and stop digital criminals. The McAfee Initiative to Fight Cybercime is a wide-ranging program aimed at closing critical gaps in the fight against cyber crime. This includes a multi-point plan that calls for action from law enforcement, academia, service providers, government agencies and the security industry as well as regular computer users. These efforts say McAfee would make for more effective investigations and prosecutions of cybercrime.
"Cybercrime is a growing problem that negatively impacts everybody," said Dave DeWalt, McAfee president and chief executive officer. "While a lot has been done to combat cybercrime over the past decade, criminals still have the upper hand. The chances of getting caught for knocking off a convenience store are several times larger than robbing an online bank. This must change."
The McAfee Multi-point plan calls for the various groups to work together. Key elements of the McAfee plan include the following:
- Education and Awareness - McAfee will work to ensure that officials around the world have the capacity to properly fight cybercrime, while helping users build "street smarts" so that they don't become easy victims.
- Legal Frameworks and Law Enforcement - McAfee will work to facilitate international collaboration, and mutual assistance on cybercrime among governments, industry and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
- Innovation - McAfee will work with the technology industry to provide technology solutions that stay one step ahead of the threats.
While talk is good, we’re happy to hear that this initiative also includes the creation of the McAfee Initiative to Fight Cybercrime Advisory Council. And this council will let McAfee harness the insights and energy of leaders who have already made a difference in this critical area. To lead the group of independent experts will be former White House Cybersecurity Adviser Howard A. Schmidt. Joining him will be Professors Ian Brown of Oxford University and Lillian Edwards of Sheffield University, along with Parry Aftab, founder and manager of WiredSafety, the world's largest and oldest cybersafety help group.
We’ll be following this the McAfee Initiative very closely in the coming months.