European Commission calls for cyber security tsar

Viviane Reding has urged member states to work more closely on security

The European Commission has criticised member states for failing to work together on a joint e-crime plan, and called for the appointment of a security tsar to co-ordinate an EU-wide cyber security strategy.

Viviane Reding, commissioner for information society and media, appeared in a video address ahead of this week's EU ministerial conference on cyber security in Estonia to warn of the potential impact of attacks on critical network infrastructures.

Reding argued that Europe's Enisa security agency remains limited to facilitating information exchange, and is unlikely to become "the European headquarters of defence against cyber attacks" .

"I am not happy with that. I believe Europe must do more for the security of its communication networks," she said.

"Europe needs a 'Mister Cyber Security' as we have a 'Mister Foreign Affairs', a security tsar with authority to act immediately if a cyber attack is underway. I will keep fighting for this function to be established as soon as possible."

Reding also urged home users to be vigilant in ensuring that their PCs do not become compromised and used to launch attacks as part of a botnet.

"The internet is an open network. This means that you are also a key player in the daily fight for cyber security," she added.

Reding's address comes just days after Enisa released a report calling for a more joined-up approach from member states to protecting critical communications networks.