GENEVA — Diplomats and security officials opened a cyber summit with an unusually blunt premise: critical infrastructure is becoming a battlefield, and the world lacks workable rules to deter escalation. The draft framework circulating on day one would define protected sectors, create an incident hotline, and establish an independent panel to investigate major attacks.

Several countries support the concept in principle but disagree on enforcement. Smaller states want sanctions and attribution mechanisms; larger powers warn that misattribution could trigger retaliation based on flawed evidence.

Even without a treaty, the talks are likely to influence how companies and governments respond. Clearer norms can change insurance markets, procurement standards, and the threshold for declaring an incident a national security emergency.