"NATO Warns it Will Consider a Military Response to Cyber-Attacks"

NATO has warned it is prepared to treat cyberattacks in the same way as an armed attack against any of its allies and issue a military response against the perpetrators. In a communique issued by governments attending the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels yesterday, the military alliance revealed it had endorsed a Comprehensive Cyber Defence Policy, in which a decision will be taken to invoke Article 5 “on a case-by-case basis” following a cyberattack. Under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, first signed in 1949, when any NATO ally is the victim of an armed attack, it will be considered an attack on all alliance members, who will theoretically take any actions necessary to defend that ally. The announcement by NATO has come amid rising cyber threats to the alliance. NATO highlighted recent ransomware and other types of cyberattacks targeting their critical infrastructure and democratic institutions, which might have systemic effects and cause significant harm. NATO has stated that they consider cyber as a legitimate military domain on several occasions in recent years, and the new policy clarifies this stance.

Infosecurity reports: "NATO Warns it Will Consider a Military Response to Cyber-Attacks"