Revised US approach seeks to counteract Russian and Chinese impact in the digital realm.
As nearly half the world's population prepares for elections in 2024, their susceptibility to "cyber-enabled meddling" is "extremely high" and warrants the US's persistent exposure of cyber-criminals and disinformation campaigns aiming to weaken democracies, according to a strategy leaked to CNN.
In an interview with CNN, Nate Fick, the State Department's top cyber envoy, emphasized the US's stance, saying, "We've conveyed, and will continue to convey to Russia and China, that we consider interference in our democratic processes within the United States as completely unacceptable. Secretary Blinken has said it, and I have said it."
Fick accompanied Blinken on a recent trip to China, where Blinken informed CNN of US-discovered efforts by the Chinese to "influence and, arguably, interfere" in the upcoming US elections.
The newly unveiled State Department strategy outlines guidelines for American diplomats to garner support for implementing tech policies and isolating authoritarian governments that control information. Blinken will present the new strategy during his upcoming appearance at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, one of the world's most prominent tech forums.
Prioritizing the link between economies and cybersecurity, the strategy highlights the potential disastrous effects of a ransomware attack, which could debilitate an economy. Governments might also use phone-hacking spyware to detain political dissenters.
The strategy aims to convince more developing countries to embrace a "positive perspective" for cyberspace opposed to digital repression. It builds on previous attempts by the US to influence allies and partners to reject tech products and software from authoritarian nations like Russia and China.
US officials have maintained that these technologies are less secure and potentially subject to surveillance by Moscow or Beijing. However, the new strategy advances the argument that the entire approach to the internet championed by autocratic regimes negatively impacts societies.
"I think that repressive regimes, including [China] and other actors...they're in a lot of ways inadvertently helping our cause," Fick told CNN. "They've employed cyber and digital tools repeatedly to jeopardize international peace and stability, endanger economic security, exert malicious influence, and undermine human rights. That narrative is gaining more recognition and wider acceptance, especially in the developing world."
Fick cited Costa Rica, a US ally, as an example. The Central American country was thoroughly disrupted in 2022 by a ransomware attack from Russian-speaking hackers. The US offered $25 million in aid to help Costa Rica recover from the hack, which disrupted its social security and finance agencies.
Costa Rica has also followed US instructions in avoiding the use of Chinese technology in its 5G networks, a move Beijing opposes. Conversely, Chinese telecom firms like Huawei have made inroads across Africa.
"There's no question that we have an uphill battle ahead," Fick admitted. "Of course, there's still a measure of appeal in many economies for these Belt and Road initiatives," he continued, referring to global infrastructure projects that experts suggest China utilizes as a diplomatic weapon. Nonetheless, Fick remains optimistic about the power of a unified global effort to combat cyber threats.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
