In early May, G7 digital ministers, joined by Ukraine’s digital minister, met to discuss the urgent issue of cyber resilience of digital infrastructure in the context of Russia’s offensive against Ukraine. Following the meeting, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, called on G7 countries to create a working group to protect their critical IT and telecommunications infrastructures.

On March 24, G7 leaders, met in Brussels at the invitation of Germany, which holds the G7 presidency, ” to further strengthen their cooperation in the face of Russia’s unjustifiable, unprovoked and illegal aggression and the war that President Putin has chosen to wage against Ukraine, an independent and sovereign nation.”

In it, they affirmed their support for Ukraine and said of cybersecurity:

“We will continue our efforts to help Ukraine defend its networks against cyber incidents. To prepare for any malicious cyber intervention that Russia may conduct in response to the steps we have taken, we are taking steps to increase the resilience of our respective countries’ infrastructures by strengthening our coordinated cyber defenses and improving our shared understanding of cyber threats. We will also work to hold accountable those actors who engage in destructive, disruptive or destabilizing activities in cyberspace. “

Supporting the resilience of information, communications and telecommunications infrastructure

In a joint statement on May 10, the G7 and Ukrainian digital ministers pledged to continue their efforts to help Ukraine defend its networks against cyber incidents.

They stated:

“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has highlighted the dependence of critical activities of connected societies on digital infrastructure, in particular telecommunication infrastructure, and the associated vulnerabilities. We stress the importance of protecting the digital infrastructure of free societies from malicious interference. “

The ministers called for the implementation of the OECD Council Recommendation on the Digital Security of Critical Activities, which urges governments to ” adopt
policies that strengthen the digital security of critical activities without compromising the
benefits of digital transformation and the influence of authoritarian regimes. “

In June 2018, at the Charlevoix Summit in Canada, the G7 announced the creation of the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) to defend democracy against foreign threats. It helps coordinate responses to information manipulation and disinformation, François-Philippe Champagne said his proposed task force would be similar.

He explains:

“I have proposed with the presidency that there be a discussion on a rapid response group on cybersecurity. The idea is how we can make ourselves more resilient in the context of the war in Ukraine, but also to understand that 5G and the Internet of Things will have an impact on our daily lives and to understand that telecommunication networks are probably the most important and are critical infrastructure in the 21st century economy. “

The ministers assured that priority should be given to supporting the resilience of the information, communications and telecommunications infrastructure, they should also work to facilitate cross-border data transfers, support competitive digital markets and promote the use of e-documents to facilitate international trade.

François-Philippe Champagne concludes:

“for me, having a working group would be one of the best ways to implement the vision, actions and intentions outlined in the communiqué. Let’s work together to pool our resources and our different agencies to get there. “

Translated from Le Canada appelle les membres du G7 à créer un groupe de travail sur la cybersécurité