A cybersecurity treaty? Not so fast, says State cyber czar

Calls for an international treaty on cybersecurity are premature given the evolving nature of online threats, the State Department’s cyber envoy said Monday.

Christopher Painter, the department’s coordinator for cyber issues since 2011, acknowledged growing desire in some quarters for an international agreement on what constitutes normal behavior for nation states online.

{mosads}Persistent cyberattacks against U.S. government agencies, infrastructure and private-sector firms have produced concern that not enough is being done to deter bad actors such as Russia and China.

But a treaty is not the answer, at least not now, Painter said.

“You often hear people say we need a treaty in cyberspace [and] I’ve said often I don’t know what a treaty is in cyberspace,” Painter said at a cybersecurity conference held at Georgetown University, according to FCW.

“I don’t know who signs that treaty, I don’t know who the parties of that treaty are.”

The problem of cyber deterrence is taking up more and more time in congressional discussions of hacking threats.

Some lawmakers have argued that the Defense Department’s current strategy is not working, and National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers appeared to agree in one recent hearing.

The Pentagon last week released a new cybersecurity strategy that includes an unprecedented emphasis on offensive cyber weapons.

“I think it will be useful to us for the world to know that, first of all, we’re going to protect ourselves, we’re going to defend ourselves,” Pentagon chief Ashton Carter told reporters.

Painter, for his part, said he is working on “smaller measures to cultivate trust … including exchanging points-of-contact and discussing cyber doctrine” with his counterparts around the world, FCW reported.

He is also promoting a set of peacetime principles for cyberspace, including no attacks on infrastructure.

“Let’s not try to rush into a treaty that would take years and we’re not really even sure what that’s about,” he said.