UN official warns digital technologies open areas for attack

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. disarmament chief warned Tuesday that digital technologies are lowering barriers to malicious intrusions and opening potential areas for governments, armed groups, terrorists and criminals to carry out attacks, including across international borders.

Izumi Nakamitsu told a U.N. Security Council meeting on cybersecurity that there has been “a dramatic increase in the frequency of malicious incidents in recent years” ranging from disinformation to the disruption of computer networks which are contributing to “a diminishing trust and confidence” among nations.

The political and technical difficulty of determining responsibility for cyber attacks “could result in significant consequences, including in unintended armed responses and escalation,” she warned. “These dynamics can encourage states to adopt offensive postures for the hostile use of these technologies.”

As of January, Nakamitsu said, there were over 4.6 billion active users of the internet worldwide and it’s estimated there will be 28.5 billion “networked devices” connected to the internet by 2022, a significant increase from 18 billion in 2017.

“As advances in digital technologies continue to revolutionize human life, we must remain vigilant in our understanding of malicious use of such technologies that could imperil the security of future generations,” she said. “Digital technologies are increasingly straining existing legal, humanitarian and ethical norms, non-proliferation, international stability, and peace and security.”

Nakamitsu cited risks to critical infrastructure that rely on communications technologies including the financial sector, electrical power grids, nuclear facilities and hospitals and health care facilities.

Over the past 15 years at the United Nations, she...