YMCA Youth & Government Model United Nations General Assembly TOPIC PREPARATION GUIDE Disarmament and International Security Committee: A/15/TPG/1 Distr.: General March 2015 Original: English International Cyber Attacks Section 1 Topic Background 1.1 Just as World War I introduced new weapons technology and modern combat to the 20th century, the information age is quickly revolutionizing warfare in the 21st. The term “cyber attack” refers to deliberate actions to alter, disrupt, or destroy http://www.wacphila.org/education/middle_school_programs/program_topics/cybersecurity/ or information systems. Around the world, cyber technology is becoming increasingly important for weapons systems, defense infrastructures, and national economies. As such, military leaders consider cyberspace the next frontier of global warfare – beyond land, sea, air or space. 1.2 In the past, military victories were won through physical conflict and the use of weapons or soldiers. Today, technology permits hackers acting with or without state support to wage a new kind of warfare that involves computer sabotage. This committee will be tasked with drafting an international treaty that sets the norms and standards for acceptable state behavior in cyberspace. 1.3 Internet, the World Conference on International Telecommunications convened in Dubai in late 2012 to discuss and debate what additional measures can be taken to increase cyber security and stability in cyberspace. Some of the revisions include assistance to developing countries, promoting accessibility to people with disabilities, and maintaining user’s rights to freedom of speech. As global use of the Internet increases, the impending need to balance security and personal freedoms (e.g., right to free speech) increases as well. Internet freedom is a particularly complicated issue. While there is some legislation in the United States that outlines rules and standards for online behavior, the Internet remains largely unregulated. As more and more people access the Internet every year, the need to balance freedom of speech and access to information with cyber security will only become stronger. 1.4 In 2011, it was reported that one-third of the world’s population are active, daily users of the Internet; 45% of the world’s Internet users are under the age of 25. 1.5 According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, over the past six years, the Number of cybercrime incidents reported to government agencies increased by nearly 680%. 1.6 The United States military has designated cyberspace as the “fifth domain of global warfare” After land, sea, air, and space. Virtually all governments are vulnerable to cyber attacks. A/15/TPG/2 Section 2 Glossary 2 • Cyber attack: a hostile act using computers and/or digital networks to damage, manipulate, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to another computer or computer system • Cybercrime: criminal activity using computers and the Internet, including anything from downloading illegal music files to stealing millions of dollars from online bank accounts • Destruction: the act of causing damage to something so that it cannot be repaired • Disclosure: the act of making new or secret information known • Dubai: a city-state in the United Arab Emirates, an Arab country on the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south • Electrical grid: an interconnected network for delivering electricity from suppliers to Consumers (includes electricity generation, power transmission, and distribution) • Infrastructures: the basic facilities and systems serving a country, city, or region, such as Transportation and communication systems, power plants, and schools • Modification: the act of making a change to something • Unauthorized: without official permission A/15/TPG/2 Section 3 Pre-Summit Tasks 3.1 Answer Guiding Questions 3.2 Watch Videos Section 4 Guiding Questions • • • • • • • Does your country have a problem with Cyber security? Does Cyber security pose a threat to the viability of your country? How can safe, secure access to information and open communication on the Internet Be Balanced with the right to privacy and free speech? How might governments ensure both? Should regulations include a restriction on certain forms of free speech? If so, by whose Standards do we define “free speech”? What risks do governments, the private sector, and individuals face when dealing with a free and open digital domain? How can citizens’ personal information are protected at the same time that governments are streamlining costs by moving more of their services online? How do you define “cyber war” and when does a cyber attack justify a physical response? Section 5 Further Research • • • 3 The Economist (2010). Cyber war: War in the Fifth Domain Healey, J. (2011), Atlantic Council. The Five Futures of Cyber Conflict and Cooperation Masters, J. (2011-23-05), Council on Foreign Relations. Confronting the Cyber Threat