China and the U.S. May be Cracking Down on Cyberweapons

September 21, 2015 at 1:38 pm By

China and the U.S. are in talks to come up with a deal that may limit cyberweapon attacks which could lead to “the first-ever arms-control deal for cyberspace,” according to new reports.

China and the U.S. has been in talks over the future of cybersecurity following a large breach on the U.S. Federal Government exposing millions of federal workers personal information. However, in attempt to ease the tension the two countries are now coming together to develop a treaty that could chance the way cyber hackers operate.

“The countries are discussing a mutual promise not to launch a first-strike attack with cyberweapons on the other country’s critical infrastructure, such as power plants, hospitals and banks, The New York Times reported Saturday,” according to CNET.

“The talks are geared toward producing a deal that would be announced next week during China President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the US, the Times said, citing unnamed officials involved in the negotiations.”

The single treaty if developed could be a game-changer for cyberspace as a whole. The treaty will prohibit spying and theft of intellectual property, according to CNET. It’s essentially an unprecedented step towards a safer cyberspace community that would add solid security measures to ensure breaches such as the U.S. Federal breach and even smaller attacks from being carried out.

“It’s not clear, though, how effective a cyberweapons treaty would be, the Times noted. Unlike a missile strike, a cyberattack can be tough to track, making deterrence and retaliation difficult,” according to the report.

“It could create some self-restraint,” a Harvard professor who studies US power told the Times, but “how do you verify it, and what is its value if it can’t be verified?”

Cybersecurity has been an ongoing struggle in almost every country with economic power. This treaty has the potential to solidify a stronghold against hackers.

Read the full story.