Noting that cyberspace is the “new battlefield,” a senior Microsoft official has called for a global digital convention to combat cyber attacks that have transformed into sophisticated national state attacks.
“What began a decade and a half ago as a sense that there were some teenagers in the basement of hacking their way has moved far beyond that.It has transformed into a sophisticated international organized crime and, even worse, sophisticated attacks Of nation-states, “Microsoft president and chief legal officer Brad Smith said in his keynote address at the Microsoft Inspire 2017 Conference here Wednesday.
“We see it in the headlines of the last few months, we see that in the attacks that have taken place, we see it in the threats of the national state it has led, we see it even in the last two weeks, in an attack on a country Which then spread throughout the world, “said Smith, addressing thousands of Microsoft partners at the conference. There were over 170 participants from India.
“One thing has unfortunately been too clear: cyberspace is the new battlefield and when you think about all these recent incidents, it’s a wake-up call. It’s a wake-up call to all of us. Microsoft and every partner and every customer and we look forward to every government in the world, “Smith said.
As a company, he said, Microsoft has launched a four-part approach to strengthening cybersecurity, including identity and access management. “We recognize as a company that we have the primary responsibility to keep our customers safe,” he said.
Stressing that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, he said: “It is a responsibility that we all share in this room, it is a responsibility that we all share with our customers, as both the ability of customers to implement such important security fundamentals.”
“Fundamentals such as two-factor authentication, fundamentals such as updating and patching systems, fundamentals such as whitelisting applications that need to be downloaded, basics like using our latest software,” he told Microsoft partners. Smith said there is a need to recognize together that cybersecurity is a cause.
“It is a cause of global significance and of primordial importance and, unfortunately, it is a moment of calm,” he said.
“It’s a serious moment when you think about this, after World War II, seven decades ago, all the governments of the world met and agreed, legally pledged to protect civilians in times of war,” said Microsoft’s top official .
Given the seriousness of the issue, Smith said, one can draw inspiration from and learn from what the world’s governments learned of World War II.
“When they convened in Geneva in 1949 and adopted what was called the Fourth Geneva Convention, a convention that promised not to attack civilians in times of war, what we need today is a new Geneva Convention. Of Geneva to call on governments around the world to commit to not attacking civilians through peacetime cybersecurity measures. “That is what we are asking for,” said Smith.
“As we urge governments to act, as we encourage them to act, we have the opportunity as an industry to act also, to bring together our own agreement, a technology sector agreement that allows us to work together more effectively as an industry, It asks all of us as a global community and as world leaders to be together behind a direct promise that the world can count on us to uphold our principles of 100 percent defense, 0 percent offense, “he said.
“We’re not going to help any government attack any customer anywhere. Instead, we’re going to help defend every customer everywhere,” Smith said amid applause from the audience.
