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Cybersecurity partnership to defend humanitarian organisations

A strategic collaboration in cybersecurity to defend humanitarian organisations against targeted cyberattacks was announced between the CyberPeace Institute, a Geneva-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) whose mission is to reduce the harm from cyberattacks on people’s lives worldwide, and Partisia Blockchain Foundation, an independent non-profit supporting the development of the world’s most advanced zero-knowledge blockchain.

This collaboration responds to the rise in cyberattacks targeting humanitarian organisations carrying out an essential role in supporting people most in need. The CyberPeace Institute and Partisia Blockchain will together build a secure platform to share knowledge about cyber incidents, to secure humanitarian sector organisations whilst respecting the confidentiality of users.

This blockchain project is specifically focused on cyber threats against the humanitarian sector. For the CyberPeace Institute to investigate cyber threats against this sector, sharing Indicators of Compromise (IoC) is a crucial process enabling them to detect those targeted more effectively and provide appropriate help to NGOs as early as possible. Trust between partners is vital for sharing such data, as IoCs are highly sensitive and of a confidential nature.

The Partisia Blockchain will be used as the backend for confidential sharing on IoCs in a structured and standardised manner by leveraging its native zero-knowledge technology. This ensures that the confidential information is encrypted in all its potential forms: at rest, in transit, and in process. Only agreed-on aggregated results are shared with the accredited users of the system.

Partisia Blockchain supports the CyberPeace Institute’s evidence-led approach and analysis, enabling the development of policy recommendations to advance respect for laws and norms in cyberspace.

“Bad actors operate in a very agile way in networks and a single vulnerability is sufficient for a successful hack,” says Kurt Nielsen, co-founder and president of Partisia Blockchain. “On the other side, defending a digital network requires preparation for all types of attacks. This project is all about supporting organisations to strengthen their cyber defences. With the right kind of cryptography, it is possible to share highly sensitive intelligence without exposing the organisation. Or in short—it takes a network to beat a network.”

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