Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Cybersecurity becoming U.S. diplomatic priority
|
Edition:
U.S.
Article
Comments (0)
Video
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Europe E.coli is toxic new strain, trade row grows
11:27am EDT
Romney charges that Obama has "failed America"
10:17am EDT
Google reveals Gmail hacking, says likely from China
|
8:08am EDT
Jobless claims fall as labor costs tepid
10:43am EDT
Blake Lively "nude" pictures fake, publicist says
|
01 Jun 2011
Discussed
64
150 economists back U.S. Republicans in debt fight
53
Speculation grows over Sarah Palin’s 2012 plans
52
Air France jet crashed nose-up after 4 minute ordeal
Watched
Tornado hits Springfield, Massachusetts
2:43am EDT
Massive Australian waterspout caught on film
Mon, May 30 2011
Scientists revive ancient spider in stunning 3D detail
Tue, May 24 2011
Cybersecurity becoming U.S. diplomatic priority
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
Lockheed says frequent cyber target from around world
Sun, May 29 2011
Clinton calls on Pakistan to do more against militants
Fri, May 27 2011
Obama and Cameron to stress united effort on Libya
Tue, May 24 2011
Pakistan retakes naval base after attack
Mon, May 23 2011
Gunmen storm Pakistan's naval aviation base
Sun, May 22 2011
Analysis & Opinion
China reduces local government debt
Stirring up the hornet’s nest in Pakistan’s northwest
Related Topics
Technology »
Media »
Related Video
Google says Gmail hacking linked to China
11:32am EDT
By Peter Apps, Political Risk Correspondent
LONDON |
Thu Jun 2, 2011 7:33am EDT
LONDON (Reuters) - Cyber security is now a diplomatic priority for the United States with Washington looking to build relationships to tackle information theft and reduce the risk of conflict, a senior official said.
State Department coordinator for cyber issues, Christopher Painter, said the United States faced a host of potential threats in cyberspace from freelance hackers to militants and potentially rival states. Diplomacy and policy was only just beginning to catch up with technology, he said.
"It is clear that cyber security is now a policy imperative," he told Reuters late on Wednesday on the sidelines of a conference by the East-West Institute, a think tank.
"It goes across governance issues, economic issues, military issues. The best course of action is to engage with countries that have a free and frank discussion. We're just at the beginning of this."
Painter, appointed in April after working as senior director for cyber security policy at the White House, would not discuss recent security breaches nor say who he thought might be responsible. But it was clear issues needed to be addressed, he said.
Internet company Google said on Thursday suspected Chinese hackers had tried to steal the passwords of hundreds of Google email users including senior U.S. government officials, Chinese activists and journalists.
Chinese officials denied any government connection, saying that China was also a victim of hacking.
MILITARY RETALIATION?
Defense giant Lockheed Martin and electronics firms Sony have also recently reported data theft, while security experts say many other companies have suffered similar attacks but have been unwilling to declare them publicly.
Painter, a senior member of the team that produced the White House's cyber security doctrine published last month, said the United States was worried about economic losses through information theft and more direct cyber attacks that may damage essential national systems such as power or air traffic control.
Washington has said that in the event of a devastating cyber attack that caused physical damage, it might retaliate using conventional military means.
"What the U.S. has said is that the right number of ways in which you could respond to cyber attacks include economic measures and perhaps also military measures," he said, although he would not say what options might be available for data theft.
"The most important thing is to build international consensus ... It's not just China that we need to engage with. It is an important part of our agenda with every country."
Part of the problem, he said, was the difficulty of attributing cyber attacks reliably and quickly. That has led to some experts saying that any unintended escalation between states could potentially spark war.
"It gets talked about a lot and in fairness I think it is a risk," he said. "The way you deal with that is by establishing international norms and confidence building measures. There's still a long way to go."
"The way to make sure that never happens is to make sure that countries have close relationships and connections in place. I think those structures need to be improved and we are working on that."
(editing by Elizabeth Piper)
Technology
Media
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters.
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
Social Stream (What's this?)
© Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Reader Feedback
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Analyst Research
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts
Venture Capital Journal
International Financing Review
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
FindLaw
Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service
Reuters on Facebook
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Thursday, 2 June 2011 Blast hits hotel in Libya's rebel-held Benghazi
|
Honduras readmitted to OAS after coup
|
Peru faces divisive election cliffhanger
|
Berlusconi backs minister amid new signs of rift
|
Belgian abuse victims to file suit against Vatican
|
Google reveals Gmail hacking, likely from China
|
Twitter CEO says 80 percent of advertisers renew
|
Nokia on the ropes as analysts slash targets
|
Netflix prepared to pay more for movie, TV deals
|
Expedia, Groupon create travel deal website
|
LightSquared near $2 billion a year Sprint deal: sources
|
UK's Royal Academy gives Ai Weiwei honorary title
|
Japan PM survives with offer to quit once crisis overcome
|
Blast hits hotel in Libya's rebel-held Benghazi
|
25 Pakistani forces killed after cross-border raid
|
Libya oil chief defects, NATO extends campaign
|
Bahrain lifts emergency law, military trials press on
|
Raul Castro turning 80, with future on his mind
|
India yoga guru anti-graft fast gains momentum
|
Google reveals Gmail hacking, says likely from China
|
Alibaba's Ma offers Yahoo some advice: break up
|
All aboard the privacy-breach gravy train
|
Cellphone study raises profile on safety lawsuits
|
Microsoft shows off new Windows 8 operating system
|
Sharp smartphone shift to help boost profit: Nikkei
|
Google has no agreement yet to digitize books
|
Samsung files LCD patent suit against AU Optronics
|
U.S. groups attack Rihanna's Man Down murder video
|
Cheryl Cole not the only sour note for Cowell's X Factor
|
Jane's Addiction looking to future with new album
|
Yemen fighting intensifies, U.S. envoy in talks
|
Syrian forces kill 13 in besieged town: activists
|
Mexican teens turn to kidnapping in drug war city
|
Venezuela housing shortage a headache for Chavez
|
Portugal votes under bailout cloud, centre-right ahead
|
Nigeria police break suspected baby-trafficking ring
|
Europe E.coli is toxic new strain, trade row grows
|
Mladic arrest revives Dutch angst over Srebrenica
|
Facebook, Zuckerberg say ownership contract forged
|
Cybersecurity becoming U.S. diplomatic priority
|
Internet addresses: Colombia's hottest export?
|
IBM sees strong growth in Africa for IT sector
|
Globalive urges Canada to open up telecom sector
|
New X-Men set to power back mutant film franchise
|
Story of baseball's Jackie Robinson heads to big screen
|
Beijing artists detained after homage to Ai Weiwei
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights