VP BINAY URGES IT SECURITY EXPERTS TO BOLSTER CYBER SECURITY

Vice President Jejomar C. Binay called cyber warfare “a pressing national security concern” and urged information security experts to help find solutions against cyber crimes and other similar technological threats.

 

“We cannot allow this outbreak to go unattended,” Binay said in a speech during the Secure Asia 2012 cyber security conference in Tokyo.

 

“In this gathering of minds, perhaps we can finally join our voices to declare cyber warfare as an offense against international peace and security, and ensure that all men can inhabit the digital world in safety, dignity and respect,” he added.

 

Binay also said cyber warfare not only imperils the integrity of the systems of government and finance but also jeopardizes government secrets that each state has the right to keep.

 

“In the wars of the past decade, and even in published current operations against terrorist threats, the role of invasive software and electronic surveillance has been heralded as both a strategic and tactical advantage of the world powers,” he said.

 

“Cyber warfare, though clandestinely conducted, is no longer secret and though waged in cyberspace, its consequences are no less severe or fatal compared to wars fought using more conventional means,” Binay added.

 

The Vice President noted the ability of malwares to exploit the vulnerabilities of the internet in order to cause sabotage, extract information, and even siphon money from bank accounts.

 

He also expressed concern over how readily available the malwares are to those who are willing to pay for the code. According to him, a person can secure a copy of the software for anywhere between $300 and $15,000 depending on the customization.

 

“Many democracies fear the illicit trade of military arms and weapons of mass destruction, but these new implements are capable of far more damage with accountability being much harder to establish,” Binay said.

 

“The rights of each man and each nation do not change simply because the arena in which a war is waged shifts from physical to virtual. These incursions, however carried out, unjustly impede the lives of citizens and their freedom to peacefully determine their own futures,” he added.

 

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