Stoltenberg said any cyber-attack could in the future trigger Article 5 of the NATO founding treaty, which commits member nations to treating an attack on one member as an attack against all.

"Cyberspace is the new battleground and making NATO cyber ready—well-resourced, well-trained, and well-equipped—is a top priority as we look towards the NATO summit in London in December and beyond," Stoltenberg said.

Saying that it takes just one click to send a cyber-virus spreading across the globe, Stoltenberg noted that it takes a global effort to stop it from wreaking havoc, "and NATO is playing its part".

Stoltenberg underlined that a single cyber-attack can inflict billions of dollars' worth of damage to economies, bring global companies to a standstill, paralyze critical infrastructure, undermine democracies and cripple military capabilities in just minutes.

"Cyber threats to the security of our alliance are becoming more frequent, more complex and more destructive. They vary from low-level attempts to technologically sophisticated attacks. They come from state and non-state actors, from close to home and the other side of the world," he added.

Stoltenberg further underscored that malicious actors can attack anything automated and networked, including the mobile phones in our pockets or the computers controlling our critical systems and infrastructure. "Attacks can affect every one of us." 

"For NATO, a serious cyber-attack could trigger Article 5 of our founding treaty. This is our collective defense commitment where an attack against one ally is treated as an attack against all."

Stating that as NATO, they have designated cyberspace a domain, Stoltenberg said NATO will operate and defend itself as effectively as it does in the air, on land, and at sea. "This means we will deter and defend against any aggression towards allies, whether it takes place in the physical world or the virtual one."

ILKHA