Remarks: National Cyber Director Coker at Singapore International Cyber Week 2024

Singapore

October 15, 2024

Remarks As Prepared for Delivery

Thank you very much for the introduction. It is a pleasure to be with you all in Singapore. Thank you in particular to the Government of Singapore for hosting this impactful and collaborative exchange on cybersecurity. Your leadership is vital to ensuring robust communication as we seek to create collective resilience.

I am excited to talk to you today about the importance of building digital solidarity and promoting an open, transparent, rights-affirming, and secure ecosystem.

We live in an era of complex challenges.

All of us are familiar with the realities of digital threats – from state- and non-state-sponsored cyberattacks, data breaches, and ransomware targeting critical infrastructure, to disinformation campaigns designed to destabilize democracies.

In the last year, Nation-state adversaries have gained access to critical infrastructure around the globe that could enable the disruption of operational technology systems and interference with nations’ ability to mobilize their resources.

Established ransomware groups are continuing to develop sophisticated strategies to monetize their access and circumvent defensive measures designed to frustrate their activities.

Ransomware actors are targeting those with fewer resources to defend themselves, such as emerging economies, local Governments, small businesses, hospitals, and schools.

And adversaries are increasingly taking advantage of complex and interconnected relationships between organizations and their suppliers, customers, vendors, and service providers, compromising single nodes that grant privileged access to victims in the around the world.

These threats are not abstract nor are they distant; they are present, they are real, and they are growing.

However, despite these uncertainties, one thing remains constant: none of us is alone. As many significant attacks have shown us, there is strength in partnerships and collective resilience is crucial to defending cyberspace.

The United States stands ready to work alongside friends, partners, and allies who share our commitment to developing an innovative, secure, and rights-respecting digital future.

We strive to collaborate with our partners to promote technology that is open, safe, and secure, that promotes inclusive growth, that fosters resilient and democratic societies, and that empowers all people. We are committed to building a global community that reflects these ideals – transparency, security, and adherence to the rules-based order.

In these uncertain times, we seek to not only deepen our partnerships, but forge new ones, across the Indo-Pacific, Africa, Latin America, and beyond – building a future of digital solidarity.

What do we mean when we talk about digital solidarity?

We mean standing together in the pursuit of shared goals, helping each other build capacity, and offering mutual support in world increasingly shaped by technology.

Digital solidarity is about recognizing that countries that use digital tools and technology responsibly – respecting human rights and democratic values – are stronger when we work together.

It’s about shaping the international digital environment collaboratively and pushing the boundaries of innovation.

This concept of digital solidarity rests on efforts to build digital and cyber capacity, not just for today, but for the long term.

It’s about helping each other create resilient and defensible digital ecosystems, so that when incidents occur, we can respond and recover quickly and be positioned to hold malicious actors accountable.

Now this might sound great in theory, but what does it look like in practice?

Let me begin by telling you what it doesn’t look like. It’s not about the United States sending our experts to lecture you on what we think is best for you. That’s not partnership – that’s paternalism.

Instead, our role is about empowering Nations to develop their own capability and capacity.

We are looking to ensure that Nations have the tools and expertise to lead and govern secure, rights-respecting digital ecosystems. We’ll share what has worked for us and help support others in their digital future.

It’s about mobilizing the technology and processes to advance our shared goals. Whether it’s how to protect critical infrastructure, or developing robust, cyber workforce, we are eager to share our lessons learned and provide resources in support of our partners’ economic and development goals.

To be clear, there are many technical challenges that require a global response, such as enhancing Internet routing security, building memory-safe software, and preparing for a post-quantum future. Our preparedness for these challenges relies on our ability to create collective resilience with like-minded partners around the globe.

We choose this path because it’s not only the right thing to do – we choose this path because it is in all of our interests.

This is about mutual support.

The United States doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. There are many areas where we can and should learn from you all.

Take Singapore, for example. Your efforts to combat digital scams are world-class, and the threat is no less real for us in the United States. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we look to countries like Singapore to see what we can learn.

Or consider Estonia and its renowned approach to e-governance, creating resilient and efficient Government systems for its people.

Our future success in cybersecurity relies on these partnerships – working together to combat transnational cybercrime, sharing useful cyber threat intelligence and incident information, and joining forces to disrupt malicious cyber activity.

In closing, I offer this: Let’s learn together, pooling our knowledge to address the challenges of the digital age.

Let’s work together to build stronger, more resilient systems that protect our economies and our people.

And let’s defend together the values of democracy, openness, and security, ensuring that technology functions as a force for good.

Let’s forge a new era of digital solidarity, where we connect people and information like never before, creating a more inclusive, secure, and prosperous world for all.

Thank you.