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NATO Girds For Cyberwar

Alliance plans research center in Estonia, target of 2007 attack

By Laila Weir,  Newser User

Posted May 15, 2008 4:43 PM CDT

(Newser) – NATO is preparing for cyberwar, ComputerWorld reports. Sparked by a cyber attack on Estonia that took some financial systems off-line for hours in 2007, the Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence will open there next year. With the center’s help, NATO will be able to "defy and successfully counter the threats in this area," a commander said.

The relocation of a Soviet war memorial in Estonia angered ethnic Russians and prompted the May 2007 attack; many blamed Moscow, though no link was proven. As a result, allied defense ministers became interested in a cyber defense policy. The center will have a staff of 30 and is sponsored by Germany, Italy, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Estonia.

Estonian Maj. Raul Rikk, who heads the new research cyber defense center, speaks in Estonia, May 13, 2008.
Estonian Maj. Raul Rikk, who heads the new research cyber defense center, speaks in Estonia, May 13, 2008.   (AP Photo/NIPA, Timur Nisametdinov)
The new cyber defense research center is seen in Tallinn, Estonia, Tuesday, May 13, 2008.
The new cyber defense research center is seen in Tallinn, Estonia, Tuesday, May 13, 2008.   (AP Photo/NIPA, Timur Nisametdinov)
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer greets Estonia's Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo at an informal meeting of NATO defense ministers meeting at Litexpo in Vilnius, Feb. 7, 2008.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer greets Estonia's Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo at an informal meeting of NATO defense ministers meeting at Litexpo in Vilnius, Feb. 7, 2008.   (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
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