How COVID-19 will impact future cyberdiplomacy
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a striking effect on our society, with more of our everyday life moving online. There has been a sharp increase in the use of digital services, from online learning and teleworking, to essential services like banking and healthcare.
However, this has not come without unique risks. While the required digital infrastructure may have been in place, the sudden need to move the majority of services online required many IT systems to accommodate the increased demand without proper testing.
Criminals were quick to adapt to our increased online presence. They have taken advantage of our need for information about the virus and used COVID-19 as a lure to infiltrate our systems, launch cyberattacks against private and public institutions, and spread harmful disinformation, putting the public’s health at risk.
The pandemic has put critical infrastructure and essential services under considerable stress and highlighted some concerning weaknesses in our IT systems. Nowhere has this been more noticeable than in the healthcare sector. Overwhelmed by the high number of COVID-19 cases, hospitals and healthcare providers have become easy targets for cybercriminals. Ransomware attacks against the Brno University Hospital in the Czech Republic, for example, forced the hospital to take their entire IT system offline and caused significant delays in care. We have also seen an increase in attempted data theft and cyber espionage, with sophisticated hackers looking to steal valuable COVID-19 treatment and vaccine research.
The international community has strongly condemned attacks on essential services and has called upon all countries to respond appropriately to such activities and uphold respective norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. The Netherlands, for example, has recommended that malicious cyber operations that interfere with crisis response qualify as violations of international law, indicating that better protection of essential services, including healthcare, will be on the agenda of upcoming UN-level debates.
As the need for stronger cybersecurity is receiving more attention, the importance of regional and international cyber diplomacy efforts have also come to the forefront.
The OSCE has been a frontrunner in developing groundbreaking cyber/ICT security confidence-building measures (CBMs) to reduce the risks stemming from the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). The OSCE’s 57 participating States have adopted 16 CBMs with the aim of building trust, enhancing transparency and reducing the likelihood of misunderstanding in cyberspace. While the CBMs are voluntary, non-binding measures, OSCE participating States have made a political commitment to adhere to them.
The OSCE will continue to work with its participating States on enhancing the implementation of these CBMs and in strengthening the international cyber policy framework. The OSCE Transnational Threats Department will integrate the lessons learned during this crisis into its future capacity-building activities, putting COVID-19 and its impact on cyber/ICT security on the agenda as we continue to promote preparedness and increased cyber resilience across the OSCE region.