Cyberspace could also be war theatre

May 4, 2011 9:58 AM

On 2 May, the Ministry of Defence organized a Presidency conference on the security of virtual space. Participants of the meeting in Budapest, reviewed the international community’s potential responses to the transformation of cyberspace, into a theatre of war. The conference was opened by Minister of Defence, Csaba Hende.

In the last two decades, abuses with virtual space only qualified as offences (data theft, crime against intellectual property, etc.), now the Internet has become a special “theatre of war.” The undisturbed operation of civilian and military IT systems and the security of data stored in them - called cyber security, by a blanket term - has now become a matter of national security. Still, the appropriate legislation is not in place, and also there is no generally accepted Internet “code of conduct.” Several speakers and participants of the Presidency conference, held on 2 May, concurred that the enhancement of computer network security is not feasible, without wider international cooperation, since the challenge itself is global and would not recognize state boundaries. Several speakers believed that cooperation between the European Union and NATO, in the field of computer security, would be of great significance.

In his opening speech, Minister of Defence Csaba Hende, emphasized that societies are increasingly dependent on modern technology. In addition, technological achievements may also be used with intent to harm, to accomplish negative aims. Therefore, Mr Hende believed that the issue of cyber security deserves special attention.

The Minister pointed out that similar attacks could cause significant damage, as the consequences could affect energy supply, water resources, transport networks, the banking sector, agents of the financial industry and communication. Such attacks through computer networks could result in actual physical consequences. Mr Hende highlighted that a particular attack could even be aimed at strategic weapon systems and military equipment, the acquisition of relevant data and descriptions, so defence is also important in this field.

The Minister underlined that people should realize cyberspace as a theatre of war, just as much as land, water or air. As specific examples from recent years, he mentioned the concerted cyber attack against Estonia four years ago and the actions paralyzing the government portals of Georgia in its 2008 war with Russia. According to Mr Hende, efficient defence against similar threats, not only calls for appropriate technical developments and highly qualified professionals, but also for extensive cooperation.

The Minister urged for a regular exchange of knowledge and experiences, both within the European Union and in transatlantic relations. As he explained, measures are also required to appropriately prevent, detect and fend-off cyber attacks, as is specified in the newly accepted strategic concept of NATO. He highlighted that the supreme leadership of the military alliance will include Gábor Iklódy, delegated by Hungary, as Assistant Secretary General responsible for leading the unit of novel security challenges, such as cyberspace.