Earlier this month, in a regulatory filing, Microsoft Corporation MSFT revealed that the email accounts of top executives at the company were hacked by a Russian Intelligence group. Now in an interview, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has once again called out for a "Geneva convention around cyber."
What Happened: Nadella was asked in an NBC Nightly News interview about how Microsoft headquarters reacted after the hacking incident given that it "set off some alarm bells" in Capitol Hill because of the extent of reliance the government has on the company.
Nadella said, "Yeah, I mean, to us when you have an adversary who is a nation-state or a country that, you know, has institutional sort of strength, organizations that are both well-resourced and are relentless in attacking – I’m glad that we have the capability we have to even detect what they’re doing on the cyber side…"
Nadella went on to say that the most important thing is to recognize that this is not just about private companies figuring out the technological aspect, but also to take it to a different level.
"We have talked about in the past a Geneva convention around cyber. I really, really hope, whether it’s the U.S., it’s Russia or China in particular, these are the three powers who need to come together and really settle on some Geneva Convention," he stated.
"Because if this is about, you know, nation states attacking each other, and especially civilian targets, then we are in a very new world order. And it’s a breakdown of world order which I think we have not seen before."
Microsoft stated earlier that Nobelium, the Russian intelligence group, was responsible for the 2020 SolarWinds breach. A spokesperson for the company stated that the security incident did not stem from any vulnerabilities in Microsoft products or services.
Why It's Important: This is not the first occasion on which Nadella has advocated for the concept of a digital or cyber Geneva Convention. It is important to highlight that the Geneva Conventions comprise a set of laws and protocols that establish legal standards for humanitarian treatment during armed conflicts, particularly concerning non-combatants.
In 2017, during an interview with The Hindu, an Indian English-language daily newspaper, Nadella advocated the idea saying, "I am actually optimistic because global community has come together in the past to tackle some of the unintended consequences of new technologies so that the progress is not impeded. There will be ups and downs, but I believe in our collective capabilities to solve problems."
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