NATO Girds For Cyberwar

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. (More NATO stories.)