U.S. Backs Talks on Cyberwar

Source: Siobhan Gorman, The Wall Street Journal.

The chief of the Pentagon’s new cyber-security command on Thursday endorsed talks with Russia over a proposal to limit military attacks in cyberspace, representing a significant shift in U.S. policy.

The U.S. has for years objected to Russian proposals to establish a kind of arms-control treaty for cyber weapons, arguing that international cooperation should first focus on reducing cyber crime. Russia has been working to marshal support for a United Nations treaty to limit the use of cyber weapons, such as software code that could destroy an enemy’s computer systems.

“What Russia’s put forward is, perhaps, the starting point for international debate,” Gen. Keith Alexander said Thursday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. “It’s something that we should, and probably will, carefully consider.”