William Hague is absolutely insane. That's like J. Edgar Hoover setting up a hotline to the Mafia and the Ku Klux Klan, which he did - but he was certifiable too.

The Russians used hackers that spend most of their time stealing credit card details and committing identity theft when they wanted talent to crash Georgia's computer networks, an operation that took them only minutes. State sponsored Chinese hackers have used spear phishing attacks to become permanent residents inside the computers of the Fortune 500 and the governments of every industrialized nation.

This is surreal. The government have just sold access to UK networks to a company linked the the Chinese government banned in 6 countries and under investigation by America for... cyber attacks on various nations. What next - Sky to run national security.

this is ridiculous. is it for the gullible public's benefit they're shouting about this i wonder, cos they're fooling none of us really. the Rich States of Earth will do what they like, do as they please, all as usual and to each ones mutuality. thus it is and always has been

what next MrChrista (above me) Fox News to run the west coast mainline

One bunch of big crooks sets up hotline to talk to another bunch of big crooks in case any little crooks start getting too big for their boots. Right. Got it.

Big crooks + big crooks will not kill off any little crooks. Right?!

Totalitarian Governments United against the dissent of 'their' citizens?

Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again.

The article contains not a single example of when - in response to what event or behaviour - a hotline would be useful.

I can imagine various ways in which countries or groups can attack and damage each other over the cabled and satellite information networks, but I can't imagine a way in which a hotline would be relevant. Can anyone give an example?

What does 'cyber-emergency' mean? Or is it just an empty phrase that sounds as though is is serious and a good reason for installing even more surveillance. And what would a 'cyber-emergency getting out of hand' involve?

Maybe if an attack were undertaken by a private organisation based in a certain country, and the hotline were used to request the country to stop it? But I really can't imagine this working in real time?

Our education system isn't up to providing the necessary skill levels to to defend against your attacks. Our elites do PPE. Can we have a debate instead?

Please don't attack us ...pretty please?

I don't think we can PR our way out of this one Dave.

a calamity in cyberspace

Setting us back to what, the early 2000's. No CiF or WoW isn't exactly nuclear war.

Also, why can't they (and the Guardian) use the term "computer security". Cyber- is a prefix reserved for smutty chats on instant messenger with people (usually having a somewhat misleading a/s/l).

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You have nothing to fear but Fear itself [such as the BogeyMen conjured up by this Government when they have run out of excuses and other people to blame].

It's a rework of the "Reds under the bed" problem.

"Cyber" is a well-used prefix in this area because it also encompasses communications security as well.

good luck with that

http://defensetech.org/2012/05/30/smoking-gun-proof-that-military-chips-from-china-are-infected/

Wonder who has the longest spoon ? Each one talking about how to prevent computer security being breached , whilst each one behind the others backs is researching ways to breach the others security .? No doubt if Mr. Hague's proposal to merge embassies with the Canadians goes ahead , he will be keeping the Canadians informed.

And are the Mafia and KK, then... you said yourself, China are responsible for spear phising attacks - nuisances that prey on human error... whereas the US, UK and Israel create sophisticated trojans and worms to overheat a nuclear power plant.

*who are

With a ? at the end, how novel. China "can" do this, do that... it's all just speculation and fearmongering. Most chips have a reprogrammable section to update firmware and install new features. Yes, this can be used for good and bad - saves a lot of manufacturing the whole thing and installing them in military equipment all over. But with a security oriented chip no doubt the fixed stuff onchip prevents any overrides the new section can do.

Also the "links with the Chinese military" thing that Huaiwei is suffering from - well hang on, pretty much every American corporation now global has military ties - CURRENT, as well as past. Microsoft has military ties, they sell software, servers to the US military, should China blacklist them or reign suspicion on Microsoft contracts in China because of that?

The shitstirrers know very well the buzzwords and phrases uses that can instantly create fear amongst its populace. A bit like China I suppose. The difference is, the Chinese know their news could we be biased... westerners don't have that privilege, so far up their own arse they are to find out the truth.

It's a rework of the "Reds under the bed" problem.

ie all shades of mafia government united against their own citizens; 'plebs under the bed'.

Totalitarian Governments United against the dissent of 'their' citizens?

Exactly. Everything has become transparent now. The general public need to wake-up - UK, US, Europe as well as China and Russia have essentially totalitarian governments. It is time for the people of every nation to stand up to these corporate fascists.

Looks like the world is in a transition phase where civil disobedience will be the norm until the neoliberals are toppled.

For starters, people in the UK - please join the march on Saturday 20th October. The more people from all walks of life join the better.

'plebs under the bed'.

Yes, good one!

emergencies that could materialise in cyberspace

If China starts rumours about the UK on Twitter then things could get well out of hand. You just have to look at parties that spiral out of control once they've been advertised on Facebook.

So cutting to the chase, if something goes wrong online, it's okay for us to pick up the phone and have a chat about it.

How many civil servants did it take to nail that as a proposal?

cybertheft now represents a genuine threat to western economies

Quite. But how much of it is inside job. Don;t forget other IT and internet savvy countries like India, etc.

Perhaps First Great Western to run Fox News.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that Hague thinks computers still communicate using a little box called a 'modem' and that therefore a phone call will always be quicker than the internet.

And anyway, you can't make a phone call and use the internet at the same time.

China are responsible for spear phishing attacks - nuisances that prey on human error...

Yes, by "preying upon human error" state sponsored Chinese hackers have penetrated the computers of Fortune 500 corporations and the governments of every industrialized nation, largely in order to search to search for proprietary commercial information and economic intelligence. These are not one time penetratrations, but ongoing espionage operations.

... whereas the US, UK and Israel create sophisticated trojans and worms to overheat a nuclear power plant.

I have no information about about any cyberwar capabilities of the UK. if you're talking about the program that created Duqu, StuxNet and Flame, that is presumably an ongoing joint US/Israeli operation. This program hasn't, to my knowledge, attacked any nuclear power plants.

StuxNet attacked the Seimens programmable logic controllers (PLC) that controlled centrifuges used to refine uranium in Iran, ultimately causing many of them to overheat and break down. Centrifuges are designed to spin very quickly and may be used to mechanically separate compounds into their elementary components with centrifugal force.

Spinning centrifuges at speeds above their intended operational parameters causes them to overheat and melt down. By damaging or destroying up to a 1,000 centrifuges, the StuxNet program set back uranium refining activities in Iran by, perhaps, 6 months. No nuclear power plants were sabotaged.

China doesn't need cyber warfare.

Dominating the world economy is more effective, thank you very much...