The European Union will meet this week to outline plans to combat the threat of information warfare against its nation states.

Following the attacks on Estonia, which crippled the government's infrastructure temporarily, Nato chiefs have been planning how to cope if a similar attack was launched, either in peacetime or during a war.

The Russian government was accused of the attacks on Estonia but has now been exonerated.

The Council of Europe will meet in France on 1 April for a two-day conference to discuss updating the EU Convention on Cybercrime to meet new threats.

The Convention has been signed by most European countries as well as the US, Japan and Canada.

At the same time a Nato summit in Romania will look at practical ways to deal with cyber attacks against member states. Estonia is pressing for an international treaty to ban such attacks.

There has been growing alarm over the increasing use of online attacks by some states.

The US has alleged that China is building a huge hacking army to complement existing land, sea and air forces.

Governments in the UK, France and Germany have also expressed concern over Chinese hacking attacks.