***In this video, music (ANW) and images of Iran, Wikileaks and French Ministry of Finance (AP) are subject to copyrights.***
NATO nations are the target of up to half a dozen serious cyber attacks each day, and the video demonstrates that one of their first common lines of defense in the Computer Incident Response Capability Technical Centre in Mons, Belgium.
Cyber attacks are growing in scale. But the Stuxnet computer worm, which surfaced in Iran in 2010, has changed the way they are perceived. Stuxnet interferes with the way machines operate and can stop them completely. It poses a major problem for critical infrastructure, like power plants, transport networks and hospitals.
Since the massive computer attack on Estonia in 2007, which paralyzed ministries, banks and media, NATO has been beefing up its cyber defense policy. In just a few years, the Alliance has moved from protecting its own systems, to helping members and partners deal with attacks. When requested, it can also dispatch experts to combat them.
In Romania, Adrian Valciu works as the head of security at Transelectrica, which manages the country’s electrical grid. Romania is in a strategic location on the Black Sea-Caspian energy corridor. A cyber attack on its network could impact on European neighbors connected to the national grid, leaving millions without power. Adrian has trained with NATO, and the authorities can call on the Alliance in times of need.
In response to developments, and in a world where criminals can strike in networks across several borders at once, NATO has sought common cause with international organizations, like the European Union, and with private industry; notably computer security companies such as Symantec.
NATO considers cyber attacks to be as unacceptable as any conventional form of attack using tanks or aircraft.
Also available in high definition.
Produced by: Watch TV
Directors: Bernard Crutzen and Lorne Cook
Images: François Ducobu
Editing: Thierry Fontaine
Production: Alain Forest
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