Logo
ICANN
ICANN
Filtered Search

Are you sure you want to sign out from http://www.icann.org?

If you want to sign out from both http://www.icann.org and ICANN Account, click here.

ICANN Blogs

Read ICANN Blogs to stay informed of the latest policymaking activities, regional events, and more.

International Security and Diplomacy in Cyberspace

17 December 2014
By
Carlos Alvarez

Carlos Alvarez

Trust and Public Safety Engagement Director

Carlos’s work is currently focused on helping the Internet community address abuse of Domain Name System resources, by:

  • Providing subject matter expertise on contractual and policy matters with potential anti-abuse and consumer protection implications.
  • Trust-based collaboration with worldwide cyber law enforcement and the operational security community.
  • Capability building, via training law enforcement and other constituents involved in the operation or the security of the Internet identifiers.

He served in the past in ICANN's Contractual Compliance Team where he managed the team responsible for processing all registrar-related complaints worldwide. He also provided key subject matter expert advice and guidance to ICANN's Contractual Compliance Audit Program and to the gTLD registry-related work of the Compliance Team.

Prior to joining ICANN, Carlos participated in the International Attorneys Program at Holland & Knight in Miami and served as the head of the Legal & Business Affairs Division at Sony Music for Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru. While in this position he was a member of the Andean legal committee of the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry).

He was a pioneer in Latin America in matters related to software anti-piracy, information security from a legal perspective and cyber crime, initially through his work with the local law firm of the Business Software Alliance in Colombia since 1998. His articles on piracy and terrorism, cyber crime, botnets, digital evidence, criminal aspects related to the use of honeypots, legal aspects of information security standards, the Budapest Convention, and other related matters have been published in Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico and Spain. He taught computer law, legal aspects of information security and intellectual property in two universities in Bogota and has lectured before many different audiences in the Americas, Europe and Asia, from students to c-level executives, as well as government representatives, regulators, law enforcement, and military and intelligence personnel.

He maintains working relationships with law enforcement cyber units from different countries and while still living in Bogota was a member of the local Electronic Commerce Subcommittee of the International Chamber of Commerce. Carlos is a former co-chair of the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG)'s Anti-Phishing Special Interest Group and is a co-chair of M3AAWG's DNS Abuse Special Interest Group.

Carlos is an attorney graduated from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota. He holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, and has studies on networking with TCP/IP from UCLA.

In addition to the U.N. six languages, this content is also available in

null

The Colombian ICT Ministry, along with the Organization of American States (OAS) and the ICT4Peace Foundation organized an event called "International Security and Diplomacy in Cyberspace", that took place in Bogota on November 18-20. The governments of Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver Canada and the Simons Foundation also participated.

The main topic of the event was "confidence building measures" (CBMs) on cyber issues. CBMs are usually defined as measures that allow countries to gather to discuss, prevent and resolve issues that generate uncertainty among states and that often result in increased trust and de-escalation of conflicts and hostilities.

The event brought together representatives from 27 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, who received ample information regarding international law, policy development, building trust among states and the role that regional and international organizations can play. They also participated in a simulation exercise directed by Professor Paul Meyer of the Simon Fraser University.

Thanks to the kind invitation by the OAS's Cyber Security Program, I attended the event representing ICANN and participated as a panelist discussing legal and technical issues related to infrastructure protection. Given the role that we at ICANN play, focused on maintaining and improving the security, stability and resiliency of the Domain Name System or DNS, I had the opportunity to share the everyday experiences of our  Security, Stability and Resiliency Team with regards to the relationships that should exist between the private sector and law enforcement agencies, as well as with regards to the creation of "trust communities" – a must in every type of fight against online malicious activity that almost always involves the abuse or misuse of DNS resources.

It was an excellent opportunity to exchange information and experiences with colleagues from so many countries, and for the region to be able to discuss an issue that is long overdue. It was also a chance to share a good cup of coffee with friends, both old and new.

The path ahead on cybersecurity awareness in Latin America and the Caribbean is long. However, what's important is that the region is moving forward. As for ICANN, we will be there as an organization, providing any assistance required so that the operators of the Internet infrastructure in the region, law enforcement agencies and the security community walk that path together at a steady pace.

Carlos Álvarez is Sr. Manager, Security Engagement, Security Stability Resiliency Team, ICANN

Authors

Carlos Alvarez

Carlos Alvarez

Trust and Public Safety Engagement Director
Carlos Alvarez

Carlos Alvarez

Trust and Public Safety Engagement Director

Carlos’s work is currently focused on helping the Internet community address abuse of Domain Name System resources, by:

  • Providing subject matter expertise on contractual and policy matters with potential anti-abuse and consumer protection implications.
  • Trust-based collaboration with worldwide cyber law enforcement and the operational security community.
  • Capability building, via training law enforcement and other constituents involved in the operation or the security of the Internet identifiers.

He served in the past in ICANN's Contractual Compliance Team where he managed the team responsible for processing all registrar-related complaints worldwide. He also provided key subject matter expert advice and guidance to ICANN's Contractual Compliance Audit Program and to the gTLD registry-related work of the Compliance Team.

Prior to joining ICANN, Carlos participated in the International Attorneys Program at Holland & Knight in Miami and served as the head of the Legal & Business Affairs Division at Sony Music for Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru. While in this position he was a member of the Andean legal committee of the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry).

He was a pioneer in Latin America in matters related to software anti-piracy, information security from a legal perspective and cyber crime, initially through his work with the local law firm of the Business Software Alliance in Colombia since 1998. His articles on piracy and terrorism, cyber crime, botnets, digital evidence, criminal aspects related to the use of honeypots, legal aspects of information security standards, the Budapest Convention, and other related matters have been published in Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico and Spain. He taught computer law, legal aspects of information security and intellectual property in two universities in Bogota and has lectured before many different audiences in the Americas, Europe and Asia, from students to c-level executives, as well as government representatives, regulators, law enforcement, and military and intelligence personnel.

He maintains working relationships with law enforcement cyber units from different countries and while still living in Bogota was a member of the local Electronic Commerce Subcommittee of the International Chamber of Commerce. Carlos is a former co-chair of the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG)'s Anti-Phishing Special Interest Group and is a co-chair of M3AAWG's DNS Abuse Special Interest Group.

Carlos is an attorney graduated from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota. He holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, and has studies on networking with TCP/IP from UCLA.

You May Also Like