Kroes: Cyberattacks need more than military response

Threats to European information security cannot be dealt with by military or other traditional security methods alone, according to digital agenda commissioner Neelie Kroes.

Kroes called for a co-ordinated response between the public and private sectors, echoing previous calls made by the European Commission, the UK and the US governments, in a video speech to the Infosecurity Conference 2012 in London on Tuesday.

"Online attacks could pose significant risk to critical systems, yet so far we have not done enough to protect ourselves," Kroes said in the video. "That's worrying... For one, internet security cannot be left to the traditional instruments of national security, as if cyberspace was just another military theatre. Rather, we need a comprehensive response that covers it all."

Kroes said that the European response will be the Strategy for Internet Security, due out in the third quarter of 2012. As previously announced in March, the strategy will have five strands. It will call for information sharing, a governance structure, incentives for the private sector, investment in security technologies, and global co-operation.