Honoured Ambassador, representatives of Raytheon, and guests,

The reason for our gathering today is a good example of cooperation between the public and the private sectors – and international cooperation at that. Ensuring the security of people is a complex job of particular responsibility and we all have to work together here.

Combating organised crime is currently in our special focus. This pilot project uses modern technological solutions to strengthen the Estonian external border. And through strengthening the Estonian external border, we contribute to ensuring the security of the European Union as a whole.
By offering state institutions IT solutions, which help combat that challenge of internal security, you will also contribute to a more secure society.

As Estonians, we are proud of our innovativeness in using information technology – proud of the large number of electronic solutions we have managed to implement in order to simplify work processes and ensure convenience. Smart solutions attract us.

The task of IT is, above all, to make work processes simpler and faster and that is exactly what this project will help achieve. This pilot project will speed up our current time-consuming work processes and increase our analysis capability. All of it has a higher objective, which in the end touches every person living in Estonia and in Europe – a secure and safe living environment.

The experience you are offering is very valuable for Estonia. On the basis of the obtained experience, we shall prepare our national legislation and work organisation for the adoption of the European Union PNR Directive as well as for the more efficient implementation of the directive concerning the use of API data.

We thank you for your interest in cooperating namely with Estonia.

On 1 November, the US ambassador to Estonia Michael C. Polt organized a reception to celebrate cooperation between the US company Raytheon and Estonian authorities.
 

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my honour to be here on this excellent conference and share with you some of my thoughts regarding national security and fight against cybercrime, their complexity and interconnection.

Looking back into the past, the development of mankind, especially the skills possessed has been rather tremendous. The early ages of stones and axes were replaced by gunpowder; the limited range of firearms has turned into sophisticated weapon systems. The development has been especially rapid during the last decades. And yet, I am more than convinced that in terms of national security and national welfare we are currently witnessing the biggest and most influential change of generations.

The internet has brought along the development of countries and societies, boosted economies, helped communications regardless the distance or location, assisted in providing education and featured many other positive trends. In terms of state’s capacity in the cyber world, it does not always reflect the size of its actual territory. That is also the practical example of Estonia as one of the most wired countries in the world. As of 2010, 75 percent of the population are everyday Internet users and over 98% of all bank transactions are done on-line. The internet has become a common channel through which people pay their taxes and even vote in local as well as parliament elections. In Estonia, the first e-elections through the internet took place in 2007. The first m-elections, in other words elections using mobile phones will take place the next year. Hence, e-services and access to Internet in general is already an integral part of our society.

However, as the representatives of the law enforcement community we face the other side of the medallion as the previously described positive development has also opened many new possibilities for criminals. It is obvious that when the money is virtualised, they will follow the same path. Moreover, threat to cyber security has become an increasing national security priority for countries around the world. Although cyber security is in essence a virtual environment, it may drastically affect both the state and its citizens. Of particular concern is the possibility that states or non-state actors or groups would compromise critical infrastructure, especially telecommunication, financial networks, electrical power and other essential services.

From the standpoint of the state, national security has for centuries, if not thousands of years been perceived as the intent and ability of facing the adversary in terms of military and possibly diplomatic capability. Reinforcing and strengthening the army has long been as the primary perception of what the state should do in order to safeguard its welfare. That is, due to the necessity, slowly but gradually changing. The new, emerging asymmetric threats have put the states into rather difficult position – how to fight an adversary that you do not see and can only wild guess its next moves? Challenging the unknown is the task ahead of us for years, perhaps generations to come.

What are the characteristics of the phenomenon we are facing? In cyber space the term “distance” is totally irrelevant. Illegal use of internet recognizes neither obstacles nor physical borders which makes the fight against cyber crime especially difficult challenge. From the criminal’s perspective, cyber space is the environment where the risks of being caught are the lowest as the relative anonymity of the Internet provides many alibis. Cyber criminals, servers or web pages with illegal content may belong under one cyberspace jurisdiction at the same time and in the next moment already move to the next one. The financial and social risks emanating from cyber crime attacks can be enormous. The revenues obtained by illegal means over the internet are claimed to be comparable to drug trafficking, yet the volume and scope of illegal activities is only increasing.

Have we all experienced and tackled the effects of the borderless cyber space? Most probably we have. Should we focus even more? Definitely. The real questions are what, where and when should be done.

Contemporary threats can only be tackled effectively with a comprehensive approach – an approach that strengthens national security, tackles cybercrime and protects the critical infrastructure. Estonia has addressed those questions in our national cyber security strategy which sets a target of reducing the vulnerability to cyber threats and outlines the framework for international cooperation. Obviously, the absolute precondition is an effective public private partnership as the critical infrastructure is more often than not in the possession of private companies. That is also the case with the access of internet by individual users who have remained as the weakest link in the chain of cyber security. And last but not least, looking from the state’s perspective, in developing the “e-state” the ultimate target should be being a state even in a situation where the “e” has been lost. Based upon Estonian experience, the balanced and well-coordinated development is the principle we turn special attention to.

Cyber security is a transnational challenge and requires a collaborative international response. Based on practical experience, the effective exchange of information is especially critical to prevent criminal activities. I would like to stress that the only comprehensive legal instrument in the fight against cyber criminals is Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime which entered into force in 2004. The Convention lays ground for the cooperation in relevant criminal matters between the states. As of this week, 46 states, including countries outside of the European Union have signed it, with only 30 ratifying it. With that in mind, I urge those countries that have neither signed nor ratified the Convention, to do so to ensure the high level of international cooperation.

Crime produces crime which means fighting cyber crime has to be quick and efficient. Although the internet might seem as one borderless unit one has to take into account different jurisdictions. Unfortunately, as the level of legal framework of the states varies significantly it has from time to time allowed criminals to act with low level of fear or with no fear at all. I do see it as the next challenge to tackle. Executing the letters of rogatory is essential in order to avoid creating the sense of impunity and fighting cyber criminals.

Ladies and gentlemen,

“The threat from the net” is here to stay. It is a given fact that over the time cyber threats will get even more sophisticated causing harm to the state and its people. The volume of the destruction depends largely on our willingness and capabilities to prevent criminals from exploiting our weaknesses. In the next years, the question will no longer be how fast we develop our cyber capability rather than how plausible we are in maintaining it. The size of the state is irrelevant in the cyberspace. Only by stepping up our joint activities, both regionally and globally, can we expect to tackle the complex phenomenon of cyber crime.

Thank you!