New York City Embraces Cyber Security for Public WiFi

NEW YORK, March 29, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mayor De Blasio launched NYC Secure, a cyber security initiative to protect New Yorkers from malicious cyber activity including when they access the NYC public WiFi. Part of the NYC Secure effort is the adoption of the Quad9 cyber security platform across all New York City guest and public WiFi access locations. Quad9 provides an automated security solution by leveraging the domain name system, known as the DNS, to block known malicious and bad websites through the use of more than 18 threat intelligence feeds. Not only does Quad9 provide a robust layer of security, it is highly privacy-preserving as no personally identifiable information is collected or stored. Quad9 is a free, easy to use service available to any organization, corporation, or individual.

By using Quad9 the city is also leveraging an investment made by NYC. Quad9 was created, in part, by the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), a non-profit that was founded by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr., the City of London Police, and the Center for Internet Security, with a seed investment of asset forfeiture funds provided by the Manhattan District Attorney.

"This is a tremendous step in protecting citizens against all manner of cyber risk," said Mary Kavaney, Chief Operating Officer of the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA). "The city in delivering free WiFi as a public service is taking a significant step to ensure that the service is provided with security built in while at the same time protecting New Yorkers' privacy. While it's impossible to protect against every threat, using Quad9 to protect against known malicious sites is a huge benefit to users of the service. On behalf of GCA, we commend New York City for taking this step."

"Quad9 was built with the public in mind. It is a free service that provides security and protects the privacy of its users," said John Todd, Executive Director of Quad9. "We're very encouraged to see New York City embracing Quad9 and using it for public good, and we hope New York's leadership in implementing this free service is a model for other cities to use to protect their citizens and networks."

"NYC Secure delivers a world-class cyber security upgrade to New Yorkers and all who use our City's expanding public WiFi network," said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. "In 2015, I joined with the City of London Police and Center for Internet Security to found the non-profit Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), which co-developed the Quad9 technology being adopted today. We are delighted to see the work of GCA and its partners integrated into groundbreaking programs like NYC Secure, which will expand the reach of safe-browsing technology and protect millions of residents and visitors alike. I commend Mayor de Blasio and his administration for its proactive and collaborative approach to combat the rising tide of cybercrime."

"I applaud Mayor De Blasio for including Quad9 in his NYC Secure initiative which establishes New York City as a leader in helping to protect its citizens from malicious websites," said John Gilligan, Executive Chairman, Center for Internet Security.

"The strength of the Global Cyber Alliance and the tools it has developed, such as Quad9, lie in the global partnerships that support it.  By harnessing talent and commitment from the within industry and the public sector, we take a step closer to tackling cyber crime," said Ian Dyson, Commissioner, City of London Police.

Quad9 was conceived of by GCA and built in collaboration with IBM and Packet Clearing House (PCH). Since its launch in November of 2017, Quad9 usage has increased more than 27-fold and is used in more than 150 countries around the world, resolving billions of queries every day.  Each day, approximately 2 million domain lookups are blocked, protecting the end user from connecting to a malicious destination. These blocked lookups represent attempts to reach phishing, ransomware, botnet command and control servers, and other forms of harmful or fraudulent systems.

To start using Quad9 today, simply change your DNS settings in your device or router to point to 9.9.9.9. Learn more about Quad9, including how to set it up on either a Mac OS or Windows system at www.Quad9.net.

Press Contact:

Dan Palumbo

301.875.2356

About Quad9
Quad9 is a free, recursive, anycast DNS platform that provides end users robust security protections, high-performance, and privacy. Quad9 is an independent non-profit formed from a collaboration of IBM, PCH and GCA. Learn more at www.Quad9.net.

About 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 to uniting global communities, implementing concrete solutions, and measuring the effect.  Learn more at www.globalcyberalliance.org.

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SOURCE Global Cyber Alliance