[Chapter-delegates] Flame , ITU, Cyberwar - Why The U.N. Cares So Much About Flame Malware

[Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond]

On 08/06/2012 20:35, Marcin Cieslak wrote :
> I think during the CEPT COM-ITU meeting I heard the story that Robert Morris'
> worm was a story discussed during the Melbourne conference of 1988 and
> first cybersecurity concerns were raised back then.
>
> Maybe there is an attempt to repeat the story? Especially
> if it can be proved that it's some government standing behind
> the current threat - that would make cybersecurity/cyberwarfare
> intergovernment story of the day.

Cyber-security sells easily to governments and the ITU has focussed on
cyber-security for a while now already.

The discussion of the RTM worm at the CCITT (now ITU) Melbourne
Conference of end Nov-early Dec 88 was rather informal:

/"The Morris worm, or Internet worm of 2 November 1988, was one of the
first computer worms distributed via the Internet and was certainly the
first worm to gain significant mainstream media attention.  When the
WATTC was convened on 28 November, this worm was still a topic of
concern.  Although the worm itself was not explicitly mentioned in the
ITRs, the “avoidance of technical harm” provision of Article 9 is
generally considered to have been inspired by a desire to take steps
that would prevent a reoccurrence of problems of this type.  This is
possibly the first cybersecurity treaty provision.  A similar provision
was subsequently added to what is now Article 42 of the ITU Convention."
/http://www.itu.int/en/history/administrativeconferences/Pages/1988Melbourne.aspx

In reality, you have to remember that analysts were still trying to find
out what had happened. Eugene Spafford just released the first
analytical paper about it end of Nov 88.
http://spaf.cerias.purdue.edu/tech-reps/823.pdf

Then several months went by before a full analysis was published by Mark
Eichin and Jon Rochlis.
http://www.mit.edu/~eichin/virus/main.html

So I accept the allegation that some discussion went on in corridors and
perhaps in some ad-hoc meetings, but then everybody was speaking about
this at the time too. And many followed-up, discovering themselves a new
career of "virus researcher", some creating some anti-virus software
companies in the process and doing very well for themselves (John
McAfee, Fridrik Skulason, Alan Solomon (Dr. Solly) and others), in true
Internet innovation fashion.

And what was the follow-up role of the ITU in this? Despite trying to
link themselves with cyber-security by interpreting history, on the
matter of the RTM worm: nothing. Or rather: Ride the Wave.

Kind regards,

Olivier/

/

-- 
Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond, PhD
http://www.gih.com/ocl.html

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