US-Russia nuke communication system may be used for ensuring cybersecurity

Washington, Apr 27(ANI): A secure communications channel set up to prevent misunderstandings between the U.S. and Russia that might lead to a nuclear war, is likely to be used to tackle cyber space issues.

The Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, which was established to enable both the U.S. and Russia to alert each other to missile tests that could be mistaken as acts of aggression, would now play a significant role in an agreement between U.S. and Russian negotiators.

The Nuclear Risk Reduction Center allows electronic messages to be quickly translated and directed to key officials, and in the case of a cyber-incident, the channel of communication could be activated if either side detects what appears to be hostile activity from the other's territory, officials said.

They added that most key elements of the deal, which could be final in several weeks, are clear.

The agreement, which would be the first between the United States and another country seeking to minimize cyberspace conflict, comes after a US report had viewed China and Russia as aggressive cyber-espionage perpetrators.

"Both the U.S. and Russia are committed to tackling common cybersecurity threats while at the same time reducing the chances [that] a misunderstood incident could negatively affect our relationship," The Washington Post quoted White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden, as saying.

"We feel that these confidence-building measures are important to preventing conflicts," a Russian Embassy spokesman, Yevgeniy Khorishko, said.

The pending agreement is a result of the high-level cybersecurity talks in Moscow in February 2011 and a subsequent follow-up in Washington in June 2011 that agreed to establish confidence-building measures to prevent cyber-conflicts. (ANI)