Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
US Representative to the United Nations
New York, New York
June 20, 2024
As delivered
Thank you, Mr. President. First, I wish to thank the Republic of Korea for bringing us collectively once more to debate this necessary subject, this important subject of peace and safety. I welcome you to the Security Council and specific my honest gratitude to you. I had the distinction of assembly you, Mr. President, throughout my go to to Seoul just a few months in the past. I’m actually happy to have you ever right here.
I want to thank the Secretary-General and the audio system for his or her displays, and I’d additionally prefer to welcome the opposite Ministers who’re right here in the present day.
Since we final met in April, we proceed to recognise the necessity for sturdy our on-line world safety and due to this fact imagine that this must be mentioned within the Security Council.
Cybersecurity allows our most basic techniques to perform, together with our financial system, our democratic establishments, and naturally the United Nations itself.
The United States is dedicated to working with all accountable actors to guard our pursuits in our on-line world, construct digital solidarity, and leverage know-how to attain the SDGs.
But too many state and non-state actors are taking the other strategy.
Across the world, cybercriminals are exploiting digital connections to extort cash from victims, steal cash and concepts from governments and personal organizations, goal journalists and human rights defenders, put together for future battle, and threaten our important infrastructure, together with the United Nations.
As a Security Council, we should work collectively to deal with cyber threats from non-state and state actors and strengthen norms of accountable state habits, maintain states accountable for irresponsible habits in our on-line world and assist victims affected by that habits, and disrupt the prison networks behind harmful cyber assaults around the globe.
A framework for this already exists: the widely-agreed Framework for Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace makes clear that worldwide legislation applies in our on-line world and that states are anticipated to abide by voluntary peacetime nationwide norms of habits.
Among these norms are expectations that nations will examine and mitigate malicious cyber exercise originating from their territory and focusing on the important infrastructure of different nations.
But some who assist the framework nonetheless select to disregard it, or worse, empower dangerous actors.
As highlighted in April’s Cyber Area, this contains North Korea’s malicious cyber actions which might be used to fund its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile applications.
This additionally contains Russian cyber actions in Ukraine, Germany, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden, the place the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation has focused political events and democratic establishments, amongst different actions.
Not solely that, the Russian authorities has grow to be a protected haven for ransomware attackers, who’ve prompted billions of {dollars} in losses and in depth injury to hospitals and different important infrastructure in recent times.
Meanwhile, in February, the US and UK introduced an operation to take down the LockBit ransomware gang, which focused 2,000 victims and demanded tons of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in ransoms, of which greater than $120 million was paid.
Just a few months in the past, we unsealed an indictment in opposition to Russian nationals Artur Sungatov and Ivan Kondratiev (aka Bassterlord) for deploying LockBit in opposition to quite a few victims within the United States and overseas.
This is along with the work we’re doing by means of the International Anti-Ransomware Initiative, which we launched in 2021 and which is now the biggest cyber partnership on this planet.
We name on all nations, as particular person nations, by means of this Partnership, and in multilateral boards such because the United Nations, to do their half to implement the Framework and promote peace and stability in our on-line world.
And we ask this Council to make sure that cybersecurity is a cross-cutting precedence and is taken into account in all facets of our work.
Whether it’s contemplating how peacekeeping operations can promote cyber hygiene to restrict dangers or gaining a deeper understanding of how cybersecurity can strengthen non-proliferation efforts, this Security Council should proceed to contemplate challenges from a cybersecurity perspective.
Colleagues, we’ve got the flexibility to guard our most important infrastructure and all those that rely upon it from hurt, and we’ve got the potential to guard the advantages of our on-line world for all.
Therefore, allow us to use the Framework for Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace as our information to affirm and reaffirm the applicability of worldwide legislation to state-to-state habits; promote adherence to voluntary norms of accountable state habits in peacetime; scale back the dangers of battle ensuing from cyber incidents; and uphold the rules-based worldwide order in order that the digital world can have a optimistic influence on the actual world.
Mr. President, I wish to thanks once more for bringing us collectively to debate this necessary subject.
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