Security News > 2022 > November > Red Cross seeks digital equivalent of its emblems to mark some tech as off-limits in war

The International Committee of the Red Cross wants to devise a digital equivalent of its emblems, to signify that certain digital resources are protected and must not be targeted during cyberwarfare.

"For more than 150 years, protective emblems like the red cross have been used to convey a simple message: In times of armed conflict, those who wear the red cross or facilities and objects marked with [it] must be protected from harm," the organization wrote last week, adding "The obligation of all warring parties to respect and protect medical and humanitarian actors applies online as well."

The organization therefore wants a digital emblem to "Make it easier for those conducting cyber operations during armed conflict to identify and spare protected facilities - just as a red cross or crescent on a hospital roof does in the real world."

The ICRC wrote it has already started work with the Center for Cyber Trust, Johns Hopkins University, and the ITMO University of Saint Petersburg "To develop the necessary technological solutions for identifying the digital infrastructure of protected facilities in cyberspace."

The Australian Red Cross has also set the ball rolling by bringing together cyber security companies, former government officials, representatives of other Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies, experts with a background in criminology, and white-hat hackers to solicit their views on potential solutions and the risks and benefits involved.

The organization hasn't set a deadline for development and deployment of the digital emblem, but director general Robert Mardini said it is needed because cyber-ops are an established tactic of modern warfare.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/11/07/red_cross_digital_emblem/