Romania Urges Common Front Against Cyber Menace

Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Monday told opening of a cyber security summit in Bucharest that all countries in the region needed to work on cyber security issues together with the US, "as we are facing cyber threats and vulnerability".

Representatives of 17 countries in Central and Eastern Europe are attending the summit and presenting cyber security policies.

"Romania faces several simultaneous wars, not conventional wars, as in Ukraine, but in energy, since Russia can blackmail Europe with gas and energy, while there is another one with various unidentified people attacking data and IT systems every second," Ponta said.

The US Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Bruce Andrews, said the United States sees great opportunities for collaboration in the field of cyber security. "With so much of our lives connected to the Internet - from our critical infrastructure and national security systems to our cars and bank accounts - we know the urgency of addressing these new and growing cyber threats," he said.

"I believe one of the best ways we can help Romania protect its critical infrastructure from hostile invaders is through the innovative technologies provided by America's world-class IT companies," Andrews added.

Romania is on the front lines of growing cyber threats in the region. In the first half of 2014, the Romanian National Computer Security Incident Response Team issued 54,000 alerts - up from 44,000 alerts in 2013.

Romania is already leading a NATO-backed project aimed at helping to defend computer networks and communications systems in Ukraine, which is locked in conflict with Russia.

Romanian specialists in information security are tasked with defining the technical necessities and the architecture of a security system...