NATO: Attack Like WannaCry Could Prompt “Collective Defense Commitment”

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg has gone on record to state that a cyber-attack - such as the WannaCry outbreak of 2017 - would prompt a “collective defense commitment” from the intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries.

In Prospect Magazine, Stoltenberg wrote: “Attacks can affect every one of us. In the United Kingdom, the 2017 WannaCry virus crippled computers in hospitals across the country, cancelling thousands of scheduled operations and costing the National Health Service millions of pounds. Even NATO is not immune to cyber-attacks and we register suspicious activity against our systems every day. To keep us all safe, as it has been doing for 70 years, NATO is adapting to this new reality.

“For NATO, a serious cyber-attack could trigger Article 5 of our founding treaty. This is our collective defense commitment where an attack against one ally is treated as an attack against all.”

He added that NATO has designated cyber space a domain in which it will operate and defend itself as effectively as it does in the air, on land and at sea. “This means we will deter and defend against any aggression towards allies, whether it takes place in the physical world or the virtual one.

“We must work ever more closely together and leverage our unique network of allies, partner countries and organizations. No single country alone can secure cyber space, but by co-operating closely, sharing expertise, we will not only survive, but thrive in the new digital ..

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