Global Cyber Alliance Receives Over $1M Gift from Craig Newmark Philanthropies to Bolster Cybersecurity of Media and Elections

NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Cyber Alliance announced a $1.068 million gift from Craig Newmark Philanthropies to help provide critical cybersecurity protections for the media and journalists, and for elections offices and community organizations as they prepare for the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

"To thrive, American democracy needs a safe, trustworthy press and a secure election process," said Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies. "I'm proud to support the Global Cyber Alliance as they help bolster two of the most critical tenets of democracy."

The gift will go toward developing cybersecurity toolkits that:

• Protect journalists and media outlets from cyber-attacks that are designed to either manipulate public opinion or expose sources
• Enable election boards or other bodies to leverage the latest in cybersecurity protections to preserve election integrity and help ensure that all votes are accurately recorded and counted
• Secure nonprofit community organizations that work to uphold the right to vote

The Global Cyber Alliance toolkits will provide concrete and effective means for these groups to better secure themselves against malicious actors who aim to attack the organizations and people that facilitate our democratic process.

Included in the toolkits, and made available at no cost, will be operational tools, clear guidance, and recommendations, all designed to significantly reduce cyber risk and shore-up defenses. The toolkits will follow the Center for Internet Security's (CIS) top Critical Controls, a leading global standard for cybersecurity guidelines.

"Protecting the integrity of the free press and our election processes from increasing cybersecurity threats is critical to an open society," said John Gilligan, President and CEO of the Center for Internet Security. "CIS is proud to contribute to this effort with the Global Cyber Alliance by providing a framework and validated controls that enable improved protections for all."

In February, the Global Cyber Alliance – in partnership with Mastercard – launched the Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business, a free resource that offers operational tools to help small business owners and operators protect themselves, their customers, and their partners from cyber threats. Since its launch, the toolkit has been positively received and is gaining significant attention. This same approach will be extended to provide tailored assistance to the media, election offices, and community organizations. 

In addition to the funding from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the Global Cyber Alliance has received more than $1.5 million in funding from other donors. These contributions will support the organization's key projects, including its toolkits.

"We thank Craig Newmark Philanthropies and all of our funders for enabling the Global Cyber Alliance to continue to deliver on its mission to make the Internet safer, providing real solutions and ways to foster trustworthy media and free and fair elections," said Philip Reitinger, President and CEO of the Global Cyber Alliance. "The additional funding from Craig Newmark Philanthropies and others will enable us to tackle and eradicate even more cyber risks."

Since 2015, the Global Cyber Alliance has maintained a clear focus on building communities and delivering concrete and measurable solutions to online risks. The organization has developed tools and services and has pushed for policy changes that have enabled more than 7,300 companies and government agencies to deploy the Domain-based Message Authentication & Conformance (DMARC) e-mail protocol, which prevents e-mail spoofing and phishing. In 2017, its work contributed to the decision of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to issue a binding directive that requires U.S. government agency email domains to deploy DMARC.

Additionally, in collaboration with IBM and Packet Clearing House (PCH), the Global Cyber Alliance led the development of Quad9, a free domain name protection service that prevents consumers from accessing known malicious websites, such as phishing sites and those compromised with malware. Quad9 operates across six continents, blocks at least 10 million malicious events per day, and is seeing its queries grow weekly by 5 percent in the U.S. and 10 percent across Europe.

About the Global Cyber Alliance
The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) is an international, cross-sector effort dedicated to eradicating cyber risk and improving our connected world. We achieve our mission by uniting global communities, implementing concrete solutions, and measuring the effect.  Learn more at www.globalcyberalliance.org.

About Craig Newmark Philanthropies
Craig Newmark Philanthropies was created by craigslist founder Craig Newmark to support and connect people and drive broad civic engagement. The organization works to advance people and grassroots organizations that are getting stuff done in areas that include trustworthy journalism, voter protection, gender diversity in technology, and veterans and military families. For more information, please visit: CraigNewmarkPhilanthropies.org.

Contacts:
Aimee Larsen Kirkpatrick, [email protected], 808.282.9850
Adam Benson, [email protected], 202.999.9104
Carner Round, [email protected], 347.260.1957

SOURCE Global Cyber Alliance