NATO Warns of Cyber Terrorism

Countries need to focus on improving their ability to recover from cyber-terrorism attacks, as they pose the same threat to national security as a missile attack, NATO's cyber defence chief says.

NATO Computer Incident Response Capability Coordination Centre head Suleyman Anil says a determined cyber attack on a country's online infrastructure would be "practically impossible" to stop, website silicon.com reports.

"Cyber war can become a very effective global problem because it is low-risk, low-cost, highly effective and easily globally deployable."

"It is almost an ideal weapon that nobody can ignore," Anil says.

"It stands together with air missile defence and the global fight against terrorism."

Anil says a semi-autonomous Trojan virus recently infiltrated NATO's open network, scanning for statements on a certain underground project and tried to implant itself on any network that mentioned it.

By Elizabeth Clifford-Marsh