US Changes Policy On International Cyber Regime

The US delegate now says a UN cybersecurity group should pause hashing out new rules for online behavior and instead try to get governments to adhere to the ones we have.

A United Nations cybersecurity experts group meeting recently in Geneva should focus on encouraging UN member states to adopt existing cyber rules of the road and confidence-building measures rather than developing new ones, the US delegate said.

That’s a significant shift from a 2015 series of Group of Governmental Experts, or GGE, meeting, during which the US pushed vigorously for a set of peacetime cyber norms, including that nations should not attack each other’s critical infrastructure such as energy plants and electrical grids.

During a round of GGE meetings in 2013, the experts group concluded the international laws that govern armed conflict should apply in cyber-space just as they do on land or at sea.

“We don’t need a continual norms machine ramping out a lot of norms,” State Department Deputy Coordinator for Cyber Issues Michele Markoff told an audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“What we need to do is consolidate what we’ve done and get states to implement,” she said, “both in the internalisation of the norms but also in the operationalization of [confidence-building measures] which will help the norms.”

Confidence-building measures include nations sharing information about transnational cyber threats and about national cyber-security strategies.

The experts group, which is composed of diplomats from 25 nations including Russia and China, has functioned something like an advisory committee on international cyber-security. Principles endorsed by the group remain voluntary and nonbinding for UN member states but generally form a line of accepted behavior that nations don’t want to be seen openly crossing.

Other peacetime cyber “norms” endorsed by the 2015 experts’ group include commitments that nations should not attack each other’s cyber emergency responders and should assist other nations in investigating cyber-attacks launched from their territory.

The US has often faced resistance in the expert’s group from Russian and Chinese delegates who are concerned the US wants to leverage cyber norms to ensure its own hegemony in cyber-space.

Markoff expressed optimism that the US and Russia can cooperate on some international cyber priorities despite tension created by non-cyber conflicts such as the Russian occupation of Crimea.

That work may be aided by the Trump administration’s efforts to repair relations with its former Cold War adversary, she said.

“Despite the decline in US-Russian relations over the last several years, US-Russia cyber relations have been, in fact, a bright spot. I say that with all sincerity,” she said, listing several international forums in which the nations have reached agreement on cyber issues. “As a long-time arms controller … I find that talking to [Russian officials] is much better than not talking to them.”

Markoff added while the U.S. and Russia can be “fellow travelers on a road which is designed to prevent conflict from escalating into open warfare,” the two will often have different broader goals.

Markoff did not address the Russian government-backed hacking of Democratic political organisations during the 2016 election, which US intelligence officials say was designed to aid the electoral chances of President Donald Trump.  

That influence operation did not specifically violate any of the cyber norms endorsed by the 2015 GGE because the US government did not, at that point, consider electoral systems critical infrastructure.

However, the Obama administration repeatedly described the Russian electoral meddling as outside larger bounds of appropriate state behavior and President Barack Obama termed the meddling an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States” when imposing additional sanctions on Russia.

The US Homeland Security Department added electoral systems to its list of critical infrastructure categories during the final weeks of the Obama administration, despite protests from some state-level officials. The Trump administration has done nothing so far to reverse that decision.

A Russia-linked attack on Ukraine’s power grid last year also did not violate the GGE norm prohibiting critical infrastructure attacks, Markoff said, because the norms apply only in peacetime and the US considers Russia and Ukraine to be in a state of open conflict.

“You can say Russia violated a whole lot of other things, I mean, killing people, but they are not violating this norm,” Markoff said.

DefenseOne

No US Cyber Peace Agreement with China:        Cyber War and Peace:

 

« Teaching Kids Cyber Skills
Tech Companies Oppose Trump’s Travel Ban »

ManageEngine
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Check Point

Directory of Suppliers

The PC Support Group

The PC Support Group

A partnership with The PC Support Group delivers improved productivity, reduced costs and protects your business through exceptional IT, telecoms and cybersecurity services.

Resecurity

Resecurity

Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence.

Practice Labs

Practice Labs

Practice Labs is an IT competency hub, where live-lab environments give access to real equipment for hands-on practice of essential cybersecurity skills.

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC (formerly Reciprocity) is a leader in the GRC SaaS landscape, offering robust and intuitive products designed to make compliance straightforward and efficient.

NordLayer

NordLayer

NordLayer is an adaptive network access security solution for modern businesses — from the world’s most trusted cybersecurity brand, Nord Security. 

Telos

Telos

Telos offers cybersecurity solutions and services that empower and protect the world’s most security-conscious enterprises.

GreatHorn

GreatHorn

GreatHorn offers the only cloud-native security platform that stops targeted social engineering and phishing attacks on communication tools like O365, G Suite, and Slack.

ERMProtect

ERMProtect

ERMProtect is a leading Information Security & Training Company that helps businesses improve their cybersecurity posture and comply with regulations.

Gilbert + Tobin

Gilbert + Tobin

Gilbert + Tobin is an Australian corporate law firm serving clients throughout Australia, and around the world, on a broad range of legal issues including cyber security.

MXC Security

MXC Security

MXC designs and delivers corporate-wide information security management system with our full-time IRCA Accredited consulting team.

Privafy

Privafy

Privafy helps mobile service providers, IoT manufactures , and enterprises redefine the way they protect Data-in-Motion.

Lattice Semiconductor

Lattice Semiconductor

Lattice Semiconductor solves customer problems across the network, from the Edge to the Cloud, in the growing communications, computing, industrial, automotive and consumer markets.

MyCena

MyCena

MyCena has developed a complete system of security, control and management for decentralised credentials.

Balance Theory

Balance Theory

Balance Theory provides the knowledge infrastructure and collaboration center for the cybersecurity community. A networked community to build better cybersecurity outcomes.

Womble Bond Dickinson

Womble Bond Dickinson

Womble Bond Dickinson is a transatlantic law firm, providing high-quality legal experience and outstanding personal service from key locations across the United Kingdom and United States.

Radiance Technologies

Radiance Technologies

Radiance solutions provide technological advantage and operational superiority for our nation in the areas of intelligence, cyber and advanced weapon systems.

ANSSI Burkina Faso

ANSSI Burkina Faso

ANSSI is responsible for managing the security of information systems and cyberspace in Burkina Faso.

DynTek

DynTek

DynTek delivers exceptional, cost-effective professional IT consulting services, end-to-end IT solutions and managed IT services.

OmniIndex

OmniIndex

OmniIndex PostgresBC is the only commercial solution allowing you to keep your most sensitive and critical data encrypted while analyzing it. Structured and unstructured.

ITUS Secure Technologies

ITUS Secure Technologies

ITUS offer fully outsourced cybersecurity solutions working with leading security vendors, providing next-gen solutions.

Mirazon

Mirazon

Mirazon was formed to provide networking infrastructure assistance to businesses large or small. We provide Managed IT Services, Cybersecurity, and IT Consulting.