Cyberwar could be worse than a tsunami

International cyberwar would be "worse than a tsunami" and should be averted by a global cybersecurity peace treaty, according to the head of the International Telecommunications Union.

Hamadoun Touré, who has been secretary-general of the UN agency since 1999 and is up for reelection in a few weeks' time, has targeted cybersecurity issues in his electoral pledges. Speaking at a London roundtable on Thursday, he said he had proposed such a treaty this year, but it had met "a lot of resistance" from industrialized nations.

"My dream, I said in Davos this year, is that I would like to have a cyber peace treaty," Touré said. "Some people think it's a sin. People who think they are secure don't want anyone else to talk about it. I say there is no [online] superpower." "We need to avoid a cyberwar starting. After the cases of Estonia and Georgia, you need to realize how fragile the world is becoming. A cyberwar will be worse than a tsunami — we have to avoid it," he added.

For more on this story, read ITU head: Cyberwar could be 'worse than tsunami' on ZDNet UK.