From Tom Brewster, TechWeekEurope:  Cyber terrorism is not a real threat yet, especially when compared to what nation states can do, according to a NATO official.

Ambassador Gábor Iklódy, assistant secretary general for emerging security challenges at NATO, said the “capability to do harm is still mainly with nation states”, rather than with cyber terrorist factions.

“It’s not there yet with terrorists,” Iklódy added, speaking at the National Security 2012 conference in Westminster yesterday. But he warned it was only “a matter of months or years” until terrorists had the resources to carry out cyber attacks on national infrastructure.

“We would still be very well advised to plan ahead and think ahead,” Iklódy said. “We would be wise to build strategies to counter cyber terrorist events.”

To prepare for the threat, the Hungarian ambassador said more openness around vulnerabilities was needed. “Sharing cyber intelligence seems to be … sensitive and difficult,” he said, adding that private companies had to be drawn into the process.  (graphic: bloomua – Fotolia)

Image: bloomua-Fotolia%207%2011%2012%20Cyber.jpg