Washington already has cyber weapons, such as computer code to take down websites or shut down IT systems, and in 2011 declared that it would respond to hostile cyber acts. Estonia ‘cyber command’The United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and France have “cyber commands” – special headquarters to combat cyber espionage and hacks of critical infrastructure. Estonia, which was hit by one of the world’s first large-scale cyber attacks a decade ago, aims to open a cyber command next year and make it fully operational by 2020, with offensive cyber weapons. North Korea’s Unit 180, the cyber warfare cell that worries the West“You cannot only defend in cyberspace,” said Erki Kodar, Estonia’s undersecretary for legal and administrative affairs who oversees cyber policy at the defence ministry. NATO’s commanders will not develop cyber weapons but allied defence ministers agreed last month that NATO commanders can request nations to allow them use of their weapons if requested.

Source: The Express Tribune November 30, 2017 11:48 UTC