Protecting critical infrastructure from cyber attacks is crucial for international peace and security, say participants of OSCE conference in Vienna

VIENNA, 16 February 2017 - Effectively protecting critical infrastructure from cyber threats must be a priority for international efforts to enhance cyber stability between States and therefore prevent tension and even conflicts, said participants of a conference in Vienna on Wednesday, opened by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz.

“We are facing a real risk of conflict and potential cyber threats are a source of growing mistrust in the OSCE area. Furthermore the cyber world is also being abused on a large scale to radicalize people leading to acts of terrorism and other forms of violent extremism,” said Kurz. He concluded: “This is where the OSCE can be of great added value. The OSCE is uniquely positioned to give states both the platform and the instruments to co-operate to avoid tensions in cyberspace.”

Given the importance of critical infrastructure to national and transnational security and the rapid expansion of cyberspace, it has become more and more likely that tensions will arise between States over cyber incidents involving critical infrastructure, noted participants.

The discussions brought together representatives of the OSCE’s 57 participating States, the OSCE’s Partners for Co-operation, policy-makers and business executives, as well as experts, to explore how to protect critical infrastructure by strengthening the implementation of the OSCE’s ground-breaking confidence-building measures in the area of cyber/ICT security.

“We should keep in mind that critical infrastructures are the lifelines of States, and essential assets. They are profitable businesses and indispensable for citizens. Keeping them safe is a concern all States share,” said OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier. “In times when governments are increasingly investing in cyber capabilities, enhancing cyber resilience is not only a national exercise: it is also a contribution to international peace and security.”

The Conference addressed the questions of how to separate fact from fiction when assessing cyber incidents against critical infrastructure, the division of responsibilities between the state and private sectors in protecting critical infrastructure, and what states should do to promote an open Internet, including the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms such as privacy on the Internet.