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Author : A. Tolstukhina
Staff editor, International Affairs
THE SWIFT DEVELOPMENT of information and communication
technology (ICT) and its use in practically all spheres of activity not only
lays the basis for the economic growth of any country but is also a reason
for anxiety. Any object using ICT, whether it is civilian, military, social, or
commercial, is in the risk zone with a wide range of threats. According
to Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) statistics as of January 2017,
hacking attacks have caused global damages over the past few years that
varying estimates put at between $300 billion and $1 trillion or between
0.4% and 1.5% of the gross world product. Losses caused by hacking
have a stable tendency to grow.
There is an increasing threat of ICT being used for resolving of interna-
tional disputes by armed force, for terrorist attacks, and for violating
human rights and freedoms. Use of fake events for fanning tensions is
becoming a trend in international politics.
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Organization for Security and Cooper-
ation in Europe (OSCE), and the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program. Norilsk Nickel, Internet De-
velopment Fund, Russian Railways Institute for Automated Systems Research, Microsoft Russia,
ICANN, Kaspersky Lab, and the International Affairs journal helped carry through the conference.
The forum was also the venue for the 15th conference of the International Information Security Re-
search Consortium (IISRC), which took place on the same dates as the forum itself, April 24-27.
"The forum in Gar-misch-Partenkirchen is one of the most important international facilities for ex-
changes of opinions and negotiations on information security. One more reason why it is valuable is
that it not only enables the expert communities, intelligence services, and foreign ministries of various
countries to understand one another better but also makes clear where the red line passes that cannot
be crossed," said Andrey Krutskikh, the Russian president's special representative for international co-
operation in information security.
It is obvious that the information arms race and conflicts and arguments between nations caused by
the use of ICT for intelligence or subversive purposes have begun to erode the foundations of global
strategic stability.
THE CONFERENCE in Garmisch-Partenkirchen unanimously called for more intensive discussions
and closer interaction among ICT professionals, military officials, and politicians. The forum decided
that it was imperative to develop international rules on conduct in cyberspace and urged governments
to make responsible use of ICT. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union realized
before it was too late that they risked destroying not only each other but the entire planet. The two su-
perpowers had enough sense to come to an agreement to limit their strategic armaments. One hopes
that an international agreement to close cyberspace to military activities is achievable. "Nobody wants
war. Let's have an agreement that can stop us killing each other because of some hackers. We must pre-
vent a large-scale confrontation before it's too late," Krutskikh said at the conference.
No Mad Games in Cyber Minefields