U.S. and Russia in cyber security talks
The United States and Russia have begun discussions on increasing security online. The two sides are also said to be working for an agreement to cut the number of online military attacks.
Previously the U.S. has refused Russian requests to consider an international treaty, similar to those on nuclear weapons, to limit or ban Internet-based hostilities. Officials had argued that it was difficult to impose such restrictions without running the risk of imposing on legitimate commercial uses of technology.
However The New York Times quotes a cyber-security expert who “confirms” that representatives of the two sides met five weeks ago and discussed the issue. Since that date the U.S. has agreed that that cybersecurity should be dealt with by the disarmament committee in the United Nations; previously it had insisted on the UN classing it as an economics issue.
Past cyber-attacks on sites in both Estonia and Georgia have certainly benefited the Russian government, though there’s no conclusive evidence it was either responsible for or gave backing to the attacks. (If U.S. officials have been involved in similar attacks, they’ve done a better job of keeping it quiet.)
At the time of the Georgian attacks, several legal and political analysts questioned whether a deliberate attack could legally be classed as an act of war. It also emerged that the U.S. does not have an official policy on that question, possibly because it’s not entirely clear which government department would have lead authority on the issue.
The U.S. change of heart may have several causes, including the change of Presidential administration, the growing number of cyberattacks on U.S. government and military networks, and the potential benefits of allying with Russia in the face of China’s growing influence both on- and off-line.
The new approach may also be a bargaining tool in the drive to gain greater co-operation in bringing hackers to justice, as in the case where the alleged masterminds behind the theft of 130 million U.S. credit card numbers evaded trial as they were based in Russia.
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