The Red Cross was previously considered untouchable. The fact that it is now the victim of an attack could be a wake-up call for all humanitarian organizations. So far, there has been no coordinated international response, writes Lukas Mäder in Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) on 18 February 2022.
The cyberattack targeted information of missing or detained persons recorded in the family reunification process.
In his comprehensive article he quotes Daniel Stauffacher of ICT4Peace:
„For Daniel Stauffacher of the Swiss think tank ICT4Peace, it is therefore time for those states that are in favour of more binding norms to take action.
“Now a group of states must get together and declare: ‘We will not attack humanitarian organisations or civilian critical infrastructures such as hospitals’.” If 50 or 70 states that suffer from such cyber attacks did that, it would send a signal.”
Daniel Stauffacher is referring to the ICT4PEACE Submission to the UN Open Ended Working Group (UN OEWG) on Peace and Security in Cyberspace and Call to Governments of 2019 (https://lnkd.in/dniYcZHk):
„Critical Infrastructure and Offensive Cyber Operations A Call to Governments“
„ICT4Peace calls upon governments, especially those possessing offensive cyber capabilities, to publicly confirm that they will respect the norm prohibiting cyber operations directed at critical infrastructure.
This will provide a proactive means of assuring the international community that these states are committed to acting in a responsible manner in cyberspace.“
Please see also ICT4Peace Proposed “States Cyber Peer Review Mechanism” for state-conducted foreign cyber operations
Kindly see also ICT4Peace’s first Submission to UN OEWG 2021 – 2025
And compilation of all ICT4Peace inputs to UN OEWG 2019 – 2021