Table of Contents Contents
Message from the chairs
Topic 1: Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare
Introduction and background
The issue
Key definitions
What has been done?
Countries involved
Considerations in finding solutions
Topic 2: North Korea’s missile threats
Introduction and background
The issue
Key definitions
What has been done?
Countries involved
Considerations in finding solutions
Criterion for the submission of position papers Bibliography
Message from the chairs Chairs Message
Dear Delegates,
A warm welcome to St Joseph’s Institution Model of United Nations (SJIMUN) 2017 Security Council. This year, two very relevant issues have been prepared to be discussed and debated upon- cybersecurity and cyberwarfare and North Korea’s missile threats.
The topics for discussion relate well to international peace and security and touches on many growing issues that we are currently facing in the modern world and are most likely to continue facing in the future. The topic allows for a large scope of debate and delegates will have to think of unique and innovative ways to argue their stance to come up with a resolution for the issue at hand.
This study guide will serve as a broad overview of the issues at hand, but delegates are expected to conduct in depth research, read up and prepare their points of contention before attending the conference to ensure an effective and intellectual discussion.
We hope that you are as excited for SJIMUN as we are and we look forward to seeing you soon at the conference.
Yours Sincerely
The Chairs of SJIMUN Security Council 2017 Soh Li Ching
Ng Sheng Yuan
Nur Shyartiana
Topic 1: Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare
Introduction and background:
In May 2017, several hospitals, most of which were associated with the British National Health Service (NHS) was hit with ransomware- software that disabled the hospital system, locking nurses and doctors from critical patient information stored on the system. The program – known as WannaCry – demanded payment of 200 bitcoin in order for people to regain access to their files. If unpaid by 3 days, these crucial files would be deleted. The whole world watched powerlessly as the British government scrambled to find a solution. Only an independent cybersecurity researcher was able to temporarily stop the ransomware by registering the domain and redirecting it which greatly reduced new infections, but only for a day.
After the incident which was swiftly patched by Microsoft, it was found out that the NSA had created the tools for the ransomware. They had found a critical, unpatched loophole in the Windows operating system. Yet, instead of reporting it to Microsoft, they kept it under wraps, exploiting and weaponising it. A month before the attack, the NSA was hacked, and this software was leaked.
As the world becomes more and more interconnected, as the Internet continues to grow and smartphones and computers continue to dominate our lives, the issue of cybersecurity and cyberwarfare become ever the more important and relevant. Both state and rogue actors have the potential to create devastating attacks on civilians.
The issue: Scope and the debate:
Cybersecurity and cyberwarfare have long been neglected as global security issues, but the problem will only get more ubiquitous as the world becomes increasingly interconnected. The United Nations has yet to properly deal with such a problem, and has only conducted investigations into the situation on the ground.
Delegates will be expected to formulate their arguments around the following questions:
– What are the limits to cybersecurity and cyberwarfare?
– Should there be a reduction to the advancement of cyber-weapons and warfare?
Should countries “disarm” to a certain level?
– What can countries do to protect critical civilian infrastructure from such cyber
attacks?
– Link between cybersecurity and preventing terrorism
– What should the countries of origins for computer giants such as Microsoft do?
– How feasible is it for countries to pledge their top cybersecurity personnel to the aid
of greater world good in face of another international cyber attack? Key Definitions:
Cybersecurity
– Defined as the state of being protected against the criminal or unauthorized use of electronic data, or the measures taken to achieve this. Oxford Dictionary
Cyberwarfare
– Defined as the use of computer technology to disrupt the activities of a state or organisation, especially the deliberate attacking of information systems for strategic of military purposes. Oxford Dictionary
What has been done?
– In June 2013, President Barack Obama and President Vladimir Putin jointly announced that a bilateral agreement on confidence-building measures in the cyber domain had been finalized.
– Measures that cover information exchange and crisis communication
– Established three cyber-specific crisis communication channels:
– Telephone hotline between the White House and the Kremlin
– Channel between computer emergency response teams (CERTs) from the two
countries to discuss malware stemming from each other’s territories
– Link between the nuclear risk reductions centers for cyber-incidents of national security importance
– US and China also set up a bilateral working group on cybersecurity issues to defuse growing tensions over mutual accusations
Countries involved:
1) United States of America
– The USA’s National Security Agency (NSA) is a national level intelligence agency of
the United States Department of Defence. It is responsible for global monitoring, collection and processing of information and data for foreign intelligence and counterintelligence purposes, specialising in a discipline known as signal intelligence.
2) Canada
– Established the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre to monitor and provide mitigation advice on cyber threats and coordinate the national response to any cybersecurity incident.
3) Australia
– Established the Australian Cyber Security
4) North Korea
– Multiple security firms have tied the WannaCry ransomware to North Korea. Investigations are being made regarding North Korea’s involvement in this cyber crisis.
– North Korea is the top suspect of WannaCry ransomware as listed by major security firms.
5) China
– Multiple reports suggest China’s involvement. Experts link evidences to China.
– Ransom notes written in Chinese suggest hackers were “fluent in the language” while
ransom notes written in other languages shows translation errors.
6) Singapore
– A UN survey by the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2017 rated Singapore as the top in the world in its overall cybersecurity approach based on its legal, technical and organisational institutions, education and research capabilities and cooperation in information sharing networks.
– Launched a cybersecurity master plan back in 2005.
– Cyber security agency of Singapore created in 2015.
This council will be made up of the United States of America, China, The Russian Federation, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Canada, Republic of Singapore, Ukraine, Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Republic of Turkey, Commonwealth of Australia, Republic of Maldives, Libya, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Arab Republic of Egypt, Federative Republic of Brazil, Spain, Republic of India and the Swiss Confederation.
Considerations in finding solutions:
Where does one draw the line on infringing on personal privacy for the sake of national
security?
Considering the severity and unprecedented scale of the WannaCry ransomware, how will
cyber security be affected?
What regulations should be put in place to protect civilians from cyber warfare? Should there be laws to govern cyber warfare between countries?
Topic 2: North Korea’s missile threats
Discussing the severity of the issue and what can be done.
Introduction and background:
North Korea has been carrying out missile tests since 2006. In recent years, an unprecedented pace of missile testings has included new and longer range missiles, sea-launches and orbiting of satellites, sparking concern around the world. In December 2012, North Korea claims to have added the hydrogen bomb to its arsenal. In March 2016, North Korea announces that it has miniature nuclear warheads that can fit on ballistic missiles. On September 9th 2016, North Korea claims to have detonated a nuclear warhead with a blast estimated to have the explosive power of 10 kilotons. In early 2017, North Korea claims that it could soon test an intercontinental ballistic missile.
As North Korea continues to launch missiles at an accelerated pace in order to advance their weapons programme, it is becoming more difficult to identify the type of missile being tested, especially since these tests are held at various locations and Pyongyang’s lack of reporting on failed missile tests. On the 4th of July 2017, North Korea fired an intermediate range missile toward Japanese waters. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the launch “clearly shows that the threat has grown.” As of July 2017, the USA and Russia with China have clashed at the UNSC over how to respond to North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. Russia and China have formed a united front against the US and its allies, saying that they would strongly oppose new sanctions or military action, instead offering a joint plan that called for dialogue and a parallel halt in military operations and exercises by all parties including the US in the Korean Peninsula. In response, the US has threatened that if its proposal was blocked that it would not hesitate to go down its own path.
The issue: Scope and the debate:
How to deal with North Korea has been hotly debated for years, with the United Nations Security Council passing many resolutions and imposing different sanctions on North Korea in a bid to reign in the rogue state.
Delegates will be expected to formulate their arguments around the following questions:
– How militarily able is North Korea to even produce such missiles?
– How advanced is North Korea’s missile programme?
– What can countries and the UN do to prevent North Korea from launching the
missiles on them?
– What is the endgame for Pyongyang?
Key definitions: Missile threats
– Includes both the production and testing of missiles, along with state issued threats to launch missiles at various countries.
Missiles
– A self propelled weapon carrying either conventional (non-nuclear) or nuclear explosives.
What has been done :
– (2006) UNSC slaps North Korea with a broad array of sanctions and sets up the Sanctions Committee.
– UN places heavier sanctions on North Korea after repeated missile tests in early June 2017. This includes a global travel ban and an asset freeze.
– UN Resolution 2321 (2016) under Article 41: The UNSC strengthens its sanctions regime on North Korea after the nuclear tests on 9th September.
– Resolution 2345 (2017) by the UNSC Subsidiary Organs Branch : Extends the mandate of the Panel of Experts until April 2018.
– As of July 2017 at the emergency session of the UNSC, it said it would introduce a new security council resolution within days to tighten and expand economic and diplomatic sanctions in response to North Korea’s ICBM launch.
Countries involved:
1) United States of America
– The USA has been monitoring North Korea’s missile tests and have made the decision to test their anti-missile system in the wake of Pyongyang’s recent missile threat.
– The USA is currently in the process of developing their missile defence system. The Pentagon successfully shot down an intercontinental ballistic missile using its own upgraded long-range interceptor missile.
– New rounds of sanctions have been approved by Congress and are being placed on North Korea.
– In wake of North Korea’s 4th of July 2017 launch of its first ICBM (Intercontinental ballistic missile), US officials invoked direct threats of military action. The Trump administration has stated that it is willing to use military force if punitive restrictions failed to deter North Korea from its plans to perfect a weapon that can strike the US.
2) Japan
– Ever since North Korea’s missile program, the Japanese government is reportedly working to purchase an undisclosed amount of Tomahawk cruise missiles.
– Japan citizens have also been informed on what to do in the case of a North Korean missile attack.
3) India
– India has responded to North Korea missile threats by halting all trade except for food and medicine, with North Korea
– India said it would also freeze all of North Korea’s funds and financial assets being held in its territory.
4) China
– Has agreed with South Korea to “take a stronger stance” against North Korea due to their missile tests
– Though there are sanctions on the “hermit nation”, China engages both conventional and black market trade with North Korea, making up a large part of North Korea’s economy. Exports from North Korea include weapons and munitions.
5) South Korea
– South Korea and the US are prepared to go to war with North Korea if given the order.
– South Korean president Moon Jae-In who has called for more dialogue and close economic ties with North Korea, said during a joint statements in Berlin with Chancellor Angela Merkel called on global leaders to step up sanctions against North Korea, urging a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
This council will be made up of the United States of America, China, the Russian Federation, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Republic of Maldives, Republic of Korea, Japan, United Arab Emirates, State of Qatar, Arab Republic of Egypt, Kingdom of Bahrain, Ukraine, Republic of Singapore, Libya, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Commonwealth of Australia, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Republic of Turkey, Federative Republic of Brazil, Spain, Republic of India and the Swiss Confederation.
Considerations in finding solutions:
What are the preventive measures (eg. sanctions) taken by each country to defuse this crisis? Has the threat of missiles being launched to countries increased?
Criterion for the submission of position papers: Word Count : 500 words maximum per topic.
– Times New Roman, Font size 12, Double spacing.
– Plagiarism percentage: 30% maximum
Format : PDF file. For sample position papers, do refer to the following link below – https://www.amun.org/sample-position-papers/
Submission : Please submit your position papers to unscsjimun2017@gmail.com with the following information-
– Subject: MUN position paper, Country Deadline: 3 November 2017
Blibliography
Topic 1: Cybersecurity and cyberwarfare
Forbes News Article: Why cybersecurity should be the biggest concern of 2017 by Cesar Cerrudo, published on January 17th 2017
Arms Control Association: The UN takes a big step forward on cybersecurity by Detlev Wolter, published on September 4th, 2013
Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research: ICT4Peace briefs the UN Security Council on Cybersecurity and International Peace and Security
Global Risk Advisors: The United Nations and Cyberwarfare, published September 28th 2016
Public Safety Canada: Canada’s Cybersecurity Strategy
Topic 2: North Korea’s missile threats
Missile Threat CSIS Missile Defence Project: Missiles of North Korea
Reuters: UN expands North Korea blacklist in first US-China sanctions deal under Trump, published June 3rd 2017
The National Interest: The Real North Korea Missile Threat by Ryan Pickrell, published May 15th 2017
UN Resolution 2345
Meeting Coverage SC/12603 based on the 7821st Meeting (AM), published on 30th
November 2016
CNN Politics: US successfully ‘intercepts and destroys’ target in missile test by Barbara Starr
and Ryan Browne, updated on May 31st 2017
Newsweek: What other countries are doing about the North Korean threat by Christina Silva BBC News: US says North Korea fired missile into Japanese waters.
Wall Street Journal: US warns of risk of a Korean War by Farnaz Fassihi, Gordon Lubold and Jonathan Cheng, published on 5th July 2017 and modified on the 6th of July 2017.