U.N. exec: Cyberwar could be 'worse than 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 Telecommunication Union.

Hamadoun Toure, who has been secretary-general of the U.N. agency since 1999 and is up for re-election in a few weeks' time, has targeted cybersecurity issues in his electoral pledges. Speaking at a London roundtable last week, 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 cyberpeace treaty," Toure 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."

Read more of "ITU head: Cyberwar could be 'worse than tsunami'" at ZDNet UK.