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US and Russia Set Up Cyber Cold War Hotline

Posted by samzenpus on from the don't-say-that-you're-the-more-sorry-than-I-am-because-I-am-capable-of-being-just-as-sorry-as-you-ar dept.

judgecorp writes "In a move reminiscent of the 1960s Cold War days, Presidents Obama and Putin have set up a hotline between their respective cyber-security authorities, to defuse any possible crises and prevent them from escalating into an online equivalent of the Cuban Missile Crisis. 'We recognise that threats to or in the use of ICTs include political-military and criminal threats, as well as threats of a terrorist nature, and are some of the most serious national and international security challenges we face in the 21st Century,' a joint statement from the presidents read."

14 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. Is it Vetted? by mitcheli · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If memory serves, a group of small Russian children presented one of our embassies a gift of a beautiful wooden state seal to hang on the wall. Unbeknown to anyone in the embassy at the time, it contained a small passive bug built within and that allowed the Russians to listen in to priviledged embassy conversations. The seal is now hanging up a the NSA museum in Columbia, Maryland. So the question is, who made the phones for this hotline?

    --
    Select from tblFriends where interesting >= 4;
    1. Re:Is it Vetted? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      The Seal Bug was just one bug. Later, the Soviets kindly built us an embassy with bugs built into the very concrete of the walls.

    2. Re:Is it Vetted? by tlambert · · Score: 3, Informative

      Do you really think the USA side would need specific hardware installed from the Russian side to setup a hotline (or vice versa).....Or do you think they would use their own hardware and it is just the actual line that is common?

      In fact, yes, they do, because the US doesn't trust that the Russian encryption isn't crackable, and vice versa. So as of 2010, there's been a joint encryption agreement in place for the White House/Kremlin hotline, and the same technology is being deployed in this case as well. Specifically the GRU and SVR in Russia, and their opposite numbers in the US. The agreed upon solution was to use cryptosystems from both countries on the communications.

      "More recently, the United States and Russia agreed on new joint encryption arrangements for the forty-year-old hotline between the Kremlin and the White House. Moreover, American and Russian banks already cooperate in secure digital communications for international transfers of staggeringly large sums of money."

      See this 2010 report for details, specifically, the executive summary beginning on page 7:
      http://www.ewi.info/system/files/USRussiaCyber_WEB.pdf

  2. Cyber Cold War Hotline by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

    How convenient, hot and cold running war...

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  3. Cyberway arms race by faustoc4 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This only confirms an article by Bruce Schneir that I just read, he surmises if the U.S has started a secret cyberwar arms race putting all internet infrastructure at perils. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/18/opinion/schneier-cyberwar-policy/index.html "... advance U.S. national objectives around the world with little or no warning to the adversary or target and with potential effects ranging from subtle to severely damaging" fuckers

  4. Nice timing. by chrullrich · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It certainly is no accident that today is the 50th anniversary of the agreement to set up the original Hot Line.

    1. Re:Nice timing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      Yeah, coming on the heels of Obama's JFK-redux speech in Berlin, one of the defining Cold War moments. There's a conscious effort on to portray Obama as a Cold War leader. Certainly an abrupt departure from earlier characterizations like the US-Russian "reset" (an annoying metaphor—as if the world were a video game that you could reset at will whenever you didn't like your position).

      So the question is, who is the new Cold Opponent? Who is the Evil Empire? And does all this justify PRISM or something else?

    2. Re:Nice timing. by TapeCutter · · Score: 2

      There's a conscious effort on to portray Obama as a Cold War leader.

      Obama has always portrayed himself as MLK's "dream" and JFK's ghost all rolled into one. Not dissimilar to how Jesus portrayed himself as the "lamb" that was prophesied in the old testament. He certainly has the eloquence of the civil rights leaders but it will be a couple of generations before anyone can tell if he has had as much significance.

      The recent UN compromise between Putin & Obama to work towards a caretaker government in Syria looks promising from a humanitarian and civil rights POV, but it's to the great shame of both nations that it's taken them 2yrs of bloodshed to get that far.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  5. using twitter hotline? by goffster · · Score: 4, Funny

    @putin, WTF is up with goddamn @assad?
    @obama, you have no proof #WMD.
    @putin, no proof, WTF were those #sarin loaded missles?
    @obama, perhaps #israel fired them and put blame on #syria.
    @putin, you are a pussy.

    1. Re:using twitter hotline? by TapeCutter · · Score: 2

      In the dark ages, Putin (ex: KGB 'commando') would have sailed to the US on a Viking boat, personally kicked the crap out of Bush/Obama, and told Americans they would all have to get used to being paid in vodka.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  6. What the hell? by flargleblarg · · Score: 2

    FTFA:

    In a move eerily reminiscent of the Cold War, the US and Russia have set up a hotline to avoid an accidental or catastrophic cyber war, after two years of discussing how best to collaborate on online threats.

    The two companies want to “reduce the possibility that a misunderstood cyber incident could create instability or a crisis in our bilateral relationship”, according to a fact sheet from the White House.

    Both Russia and the US are hotbeds of cyber criminal activity, and both are thought to be throwing much funding into military efforts in cyber too.

    Emphasis mine.

    WTF?

    1. Re:What the hell? by game+kid · · Score: 2

      Corporations are states too!

      --
      You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
  7. Re:Russia/USA is NOT the problem by beckett · · Score: 5, Insightful

    you claim China has been 'cracking the west', and yet you conveniently ignore stuxnet and flame. you're more pissed off at a whistleblower's "BS" than plain evidence the US government has been engaging in rampant data mining and surveillance on a global scale.

    China is the new 'enemy' that the US has been waiting for since the end of the Cold War. No doubt this escalating rivalry will drive the development and purchase of a new generation of military equipment, and justify the US government exerting unilateral control over ever more aspects of online activity and identity. Rest easy: we'll all continue to enjoy unending war in our lifetimes.

  8. Shouldn't it be between the US and China? by Arancaytar · · Score: 2

    Because it's not like the US and Russia are the ones consistently at each others' throats over alleged cyber attacks.