Cyber threat is growing, says Poland's foreign minister
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
02.11.2011 08:58
Poland's foreign minister Radek Sikorski said before he attended the high level two-day conference currently on in London on internet security that his ministry had been the victim of cyber-attack.
photo - EPA
The attacks failed, claimed Sikorski, because the Foreign Ministry in Warsaw had recently upgraded its servers.
"Computerization of the Foreign Ministry was our top priority during our [first term in government],” Sikorski told the PAP news agency ahead of attending the London Conference on Cyberspace, opened by UK prime minister David Cameron.
Representatives of 60 nations are gathered to discuss how to tackle rising levels of cyber-crime, with guests including Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Estonia's president Toomas Ilves, Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt and European commissioner for digital agenda Neelie Kroes.
US secretary of state Hilary Clinton was due to attend but cancelled at the last minute due to illness of one of her family.
"We cannot leave cyberspace open to the criminals and the terrorists that threaten our security and our prosperity but at the same time we cannot just go down the heavy-handed route," Prime Minister Cameron said when opening the conference.
Proposals submitted during the conference will provide the basis for the creation of the 'London Agenda' - “a document that could significantly affect the further development work on the creation of international legislation in the field of cyber security,” says Poland's Foreign Ministry.
"Cyber threats are growing, not diminishing,” Minister Sikorski told PAP. " I think that it is clear to everyone that no country by themselves can cope with the threats,” he warned, calling for international action against the danger. (pg)