A/77/92
growth, as well as the integrity, security and stability of the global community, and
can lead to destabilizing and cascading effects with enhanced risks of conflict.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has demonstrated the risks and
consequences of malicious ICT activities. The European Union and its member States
have observed cyberthreats and malicious cyberactivities targeting essential operators
and acknowledge the vulnerability of critical information infrastructure,
infrastructure providing essential services to the public, the technical infrastructure
essential to the general availability or integrity of the Internet, and health and other
critical sector entities in member States and their partners. The European Union and
its member States are in particular alarmed by the increase in activities affecting the
security and integrity of ICT products and services, which might have systemic
effects. Also in the context of Russia’s irresponsible behaviour in cyberspace as an
integral part of its illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, the European Union
and its member States have seen the use of cyberattacks involving destructive
instruments, such as wipers to cause system breakdowns, but also service disruptions,
intrusion attempts, defacements and distributed denial of service attacks targeting
Ukraine, with the potential for spillover into other countries, in particular Ukraine’s
neighbours.
The European Union and its member States condemn this malicious behaviour
in cyberspace, including malicious ICT activity aimed at exploiting vulnerabilities,
and underline their continued support for increasing global cyberresilience. Any
attempt to hamper critical infrastructure is unacceptable and can put people’s lives at
risk.
The European Union and its member States call upon every country to not
knowingly allow their territory to be used for internationally wrongful acts in
cyberspace using ICTs and to take appropriate actions against actors conducting such
activities from their territory, consistent with international law and the 2010, 2013,
2015 and 2021 consensus reports of the Groups of Governmental Experts and of the
Working Group in 2021. The European Union and its member States emphasize again
that States should take all appropriate measures and reasonab ly available and feasible
steps to detect, investigate and address the situation.
In addition, as recognized in previous reports of the Group of Governmental
Experts and the Working Group, given the unique character of ICTs, the European
Union’s approach to addressing cyberissues in the context of international security
remains adaptive to new technological developments, while noting that the norms of
responsible State behaviour in cyberspace are technology-neutral. This is consistent
with the concept and with the acknowledgement by the United Nations that existing
international law applies to new areas.
The European Union and its member States can only support the development
and use of technologies, systems or services enabled by ICTs that fully respect
applicable international law and norms, particularly the Charter of the United Nations,
as well as international humanitarian law and human rights law.
How international law applies to the use of information and
communications technologies
The European Union and its member States strongly support an effective
multilateral system, underpinned by a rules-based international order, which delivers
results in tackling present and future global challenges in cyberspace.
A truly universal cybersecurity framework can only be based on existing
international law, including the Charter of the United Nations in its entirety,
international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The European
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