RSA 2012: Trustworthy Internet Movement aims to boost security, privacy and reliability online

RSA chief highlights need for new security skills to handle emerging threats and consumerisation

A not-for-profit initiative called Trustworthy Internet Movement (TIM) has been launched to help address on-going security issues on the internet, such as SSL governance and the spread of botnets and malware.

The brainchild of Philippe Courtot (pictured), chairman and CEO of security and compliance vendor Qualys, the initiative plans to draw on skills from large corporations, cloud providers and industry groups as well as tapping into the resources of the venture capital community.

"With two billion people relying on the internet for much of their personal and business lives, it is incumbent upon the industry to put its collective heads together and resolve the problems of online security, privacy, and reliability once and for all," says Courtot.

"This is no longer just an issue of technology but of society as a whole."

TIM will fund innovation through collaborative working groups, which will aim to identify issues that need to be solved and create solutions to address them.

Meanwhile, delegates at the RSA conference were told that changes in the nature of cyber threats require a new mix of skills to combat them.

In his opening keynote, entitled Sustaining Trust in a Hyperconnected World, RSA executive chairman Arthur Coviello highlighted the threats coming from "new breeds of cyber criminals, hacktivists and rogue nation states" who have "become as adept at exploiting the vulnerabilities of our digital world as our customers have become at exploiting its value".

Covellio argued that security professionals had to adapt to these new threats.

"This new breed of security analyst must have the right analytical skills, big-picture thinking and much-needed collaborative people skills to ensure smooth information sharing with multiple stakeholders," he said.

Coviello also highlighted the impact consumerisation is having on security, arguing that people are blurring the line between their personal and work lives and that the subsequent security risks require new security models.

"Our industry is being challenged as never before. We need more from security because we are at serious risk of failing. Today's security models are just inadequate and with current trends, will only become more so," he said.

CEO of IT risk solution provider Symantec, Enrique Salem, echoed Coviello's views in his keynote.

He told attendees that he believes that security vendors must adapt their technologies to fit in with a new generation of workers who he says will want more freedom to use applications, social media and mobile devices.

"It is important for us to understand that this way of working will not be a subset, but it is how business will be done in the future," he said.