Cybersecurity Remains a Gray Area for NATO
Updates to the alliance charter will not define when hacks count as 'armed attacks.'
NATO, led by Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is expected to announce changes to its charter in September.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is
expected to update its charter in September to address cybersecurity
while leaving open the question of whether hacks count as an attack on
its member states that could start a war.
[READ: The New Mafia: Battling Hackers Like Organized Crime]
Defense ministers of the alliance that includes the U.S. and much of Europe agreed in June on the policy, which allied leaders are expected to formally endorse next month during a summit in Wales, Oana Lungescu, spokeswoman for NATO told U.S. News.
“In the document we state explicitly for the first time that cyber is covered by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – our collective defence clause,” Lungescu said in an email. “Of course, every situation or attack is unique. And we will not say in exactly which circumstances or what the threshold of the attack has to be to trigger a collective NATO response.”
Article 5 is the founding mutual defense principle of NATO, which states “an armed attack against one or more [member states] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.” In the event of such an “armed attack,” Article 5 directs each member state to “take such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.”
Leaving open the definition of whether a data breach or digital sabotage counts as an “armed attack” against a member of NATO may not answer questions about how the Internet fits into national security, but it could also cool fears about whether hackers could start a war.
[ALSO: NSA's 'MonsterMind' Could Automate Cyberwar]
Including cybersecurity as part of NATO’s charter could also inspire the member states to upgrade online defenses and adapt their strategies to factor in the risk of hackers targeting critical infrastructure like electrical grids, or stealing technological secrets.
Cybersecurity is a growing part of war, so the U.S. has worked with other military powers like Russia to discuss protocols for digital war, including that hospitals and other civilian networks should not be targeted. International criticism of surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency, however, has slowed progress on this cybersecurity détente, according to James Lewis, cybersecurity researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Russia and China in some cases even sponsor hackers to steal trade secrets from the U.S., according to Shawn Henry, the former executive assistant director in charge of the FBI's Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch.
[READ: The New Mafia: Battling Hackers Like Organized Crime]
Defense ministers of the alliance that includes the U.S. and much of Europe agreed in June on the policy, which allied leaders are expected to formally endorse next month during a summit in Wales, Oana Lungescu, spokeswoman for NATO told U.S. News.
“In the document we state explicitly for the first time that cyber is covered by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – our collective defence clause,” Lungescu said in an email. “Of course, every situation or attack is unique. And we will not say in exactly which circumstances or what the threshold of the attack has to be to trigger a collective NATO response.”
Article 5 is the founding mutual defense principle of NATO, which states “an armed attack against one or more [member states] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.” In the event of such an “armed attack,” Article 5 directs each member state to “take such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.”
Leaving open the definition of whether a data breach or digital sabotage counts as an “armed attack” against a member of NATO may not answer questions about how the Internet fits into national security, but it could also cool fears about whether hackers could start a war.
[ALSO: NSA's 'MonsterMind' Could Automate Cyberwar]
Including cybersecurity as part of NATO’s charter could also inspire the member states to upgrade online defenses and adapt their strategies to factor in the risk of hackers targeting critical infrastructure like electrical grids, or stealing technological secrets.
Cybersecurity is a growing part of war, so the U.S. has worked with other military powers like Russia to discuss protocols for digital war, including that hospitals and other civilian networks should not be targeted. International criticism of surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency, however, has slowed progress on this cybersecurity détente, according to James Lewis, cybersecurity researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Russia and China in some cases even sponsor hackers to steal trade secrets from the U.S., according to Shawn Henry, the former executive assistant director in charge of the FBI's Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch.
- TAGS:
- NATO
- cybersecurity
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