CSTO focuses on countering cyberthreats and strengthens protection of the common digital media space

Anatoly Vyborny, Chairman of the CSTO PA Standing Committee on Defence and Security, Member of the State Duma Committee on Security and Counteraction to Corruption answered our questions:
– In 2020 with your active participation the CSTO PA adopted the Concept Action Plan and Toolset to Counter Cyberchallenges and Treats, which provides for the development of a number of relevant model acts.
What model acts in furtherance of this document are planned to be reviewed in 2021 by the CSTO PA Council’s Expert Advisory Board or CSTO PA Standing Committee on Defence and Security?
Anatoly Vyborny, Chairman of the CSTO PA Standing Committee on Defence and Security and a member of the State Duma Committee on Security and Corruption Control:
– In addition to benefits, the development of digital technology is also fraught with significant risks. For example, it enables new ways of committing crimes and terrorist attacks, primarily in those countries that do not pay due attention to the protection of digital sovereignty. Therefore, at the level of interstate cooperation within the CSTO, we are not only developing the end-to-end data exchange capabilities, but also proactively building cyberthreat protection.
It is even more relevant because the pandemic has only accelerated negative processes. Last year, experts recorded a sharp increase in the number of cyberthreats. The number of cybercrimes in CSTO countries in the first 6 months of 2020 has increased fivefold, exceeding 64 thousand. Criminals and international terrorists are behind cyberattacks. Therefore, developing a unified concept of confronting this evil has become extremely urgent.
In November 2020, the CSTO PA adopted the Concept Action Plan and Toolset to Counter Cyberchallenges and Threats. Its goal is to develop effective and up-to-date legislation to combat cyberthreats based on common approaches. The concept outlines a number of lawmaking areas, including, among others, virus response and countering espionage.
In particular, the concept provides for the adoption of model laws On Information Protection and Cybersecurity, On Information Security, On Countering Terrorism at the Facilities of the Fuel and Energy Complex, On Ensuring Security of Critical Facilities of Information Infrastructure.
In the nearest future, tentatively in March, there is a plan to review draft recommendations on criminalization of socially dangerous information-related actions in the legislation of CSTO Member States and draft recommendations on the development of general principles of artificial intelligence and robotics, Internet regulation, formation and use of big data.
In addition to it, as part of the fight against cyber threats, the CSTO annually conducts Operation Proxy, aimed at countering cyberterrorism and cybercrime. Joint intelligence and preventive measures are taken leading to increased efficiency and pooling of efforts of specialized security and internal-affairs bodies in the information sphere.