{"id":2153,"date":"2022-03-01T16:24:55","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T23:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/?p=2153"},"modified":"2022-03-01T16:24:59","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T23:24:59","slug":"a-taste-all-too-familiar-ukraine-calls-for-help-from-hackers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/2022\/03\/01\/a-taste-all-too-familiar-ukraine-calls-for-help-from-hackers\/","title":{"rendered":"A Taste All Too Familiar: Ukraine Calls For Help From Hackers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Techdator 2022. Image sourced from <https:\/\/techdator.net\/ukraine-asking-hackers-help-defending-its-infrastructure\/> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Amidst a military invasion by Russian forces, Ukraine has taken a surprising (and some might say ironic) step: enlisting the aid of hackers and cyber vigilantes. As reported by Reuters, Ukrainian government officials have put forth requests for independent contractors to apply through a google document[1] in the hopes of enlisting their help in the defense of their country. In hiring these internet-paramilitaries, the Ukrainian government allegedly hopes to protect critical infrastructure and conduct spying and intelligence gathering operations against the invading Russian army. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More specifically, the InfoSecurity group reports that the hackers are to be divided into two groups: offensive and defensive hackers. Those in the defensive group are tasked with ensuring that Ukraine’s water and power systems are safe, whereas offensive unit volunteers will attempt digital espionage on Russian troop movements and plans[2]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This call for what is essentially vigilante justice has raised an important legal and ethical question: are states responsible, or should states be held responsible for the cyber attacks committed by those they sponsor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A New Paradigm?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cyberattacks, particularly those committed by state actors against other state actors, are rapidly becoming a commonplace tool of international conflict.[3] And in certain cases they are truly that: states attempting to gain access to other states. See for instance the United States considering retaliating against Russia with cyber-attacks of their own[4]. Such attacks would be organized and performed by United States Government groups <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, examine next the history of cyber attacks as committed by Russian actors. These attacks started as far back as 2007, with Russia being accused of targeting Estonia[5]. From there a pattern emerged, with allegations surfacing of Russian cyber interference with everything from leaking the French president’s private emails[6] to attempting to influence the results of the United States presidential election[7]. A common thread emerges from almost every allegation of Russian hacking: they are committed by private groups. Sure, there are “strong links” or “reasonable suspicions”, but ultimately there is also plausible deniability for the state in question. So why not attempt to go after states for it anyways?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hydra of State-Sponsored Hacking <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"

“Putin in the image of Hercules”. Exhibition: 12 Labors, Moscow, 2014. Image sourced from <https:\/\/www.opendemocracy.net\/en\/odr\/for-generation-p-putin-is-russia-cult-of-personality-youth-russia\/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The hydra is a legendary Greek creature who is said to have nine heads, and each time you cut one head off another two grow back in its place. It’s an apt metaphor for the problems that arise when you try to assign blame to countries for state sponsored hacking. Consider the current attempts by Ukraine to enlist vigilante hackers. They clearly have some modicum of popular support, yet what happens if they go too far and target a Russian field hospital for instance, leading to injured soldiers dying. Does this truly help the Ukraine, or cause further injury to soldiers already out of the fight? If not, then are they any different from the widely condemned Russian cyber-attacks? And, assuming they do go too far, is Ukraine now liable for war crimes for employing them in the first place? Don’t forget, they’re not Ukrainian hackers, just hackers employed by the Ukraine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jurisdiction is another can of worms. Who takes whom to court over state sponsored hacking? And to which court? And for what crimes? Sure, you could make an argument for the precautionary principle of international law (i.e. it’s your responsibility to handle things that cause cross-border damage), but this is a stretch, frankly, and difficult to enforce for any country that doesn’t want to play ball. Some solutions have been posited, such as the WTO or ICJ[8], but insofar none have come forth to take on the responsibility of handling state-sponsored hacking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Utterly Unsatisfying Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is the answer? Should states be held accountable for state-sponsored hacking attempts or not? At this point, not even NATO or the European Union know the answer[9]. And while this article has raised several issues to be considered, that is not to say that the whole endeavor is fated to be fruitless. As cyber attacks continue, perhaps a solution will show itself to the world at large. Or perhaps this is simply another step in the long history of warfare waged by mankind. Either way, at this point all anyone can do is wait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] Joel Schectman & Christopher Bing, “Ukraine calls on hacker underground to defend against Russia” (2022), online: Reuters<\/em> <www.reuters.com\/world\/exclusive-ukraine-calls-hacker-underground-defend-against-russia-2022-02-24\/>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Sarah Coble, “Ukraine Asks for Hackers’ Help” (2022), online: InfoSecurity Group<\/em> <www.infosecurity-magazine.com\/news\/ukraine-asks-for-hackers-help\/>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] “Significant Cyber Incidents” (2022), online: Center for Strategic & International Studies<\/em> <www.csis.org\/programs\/strategic-technologies-program\/significant-cyber-incidents>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]Ken Dilanian & Courtney Kube, “Biden has been presented with options for massive cyberattacks against Russia” (2022), online: NBC News<\/em> <www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/national-security\/biden-presented-options-massive-cyberattacks-russia-rcna17558>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]Kenneth Geers, “Cyberspace and the changing nature of warfare” (2008), online: SC Magazine <<\/em>web.archive.org\/web\/20081203191412\/http:\/\/www.scmagazineus.com\/Cyberspace-and-the-changing-nature-of-warfare\/article\/115929\/>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6]Patrick Howell O’Neill “Researchers link Macron hack to APT28 with ‘moderate confidence'” (2017), online: Cyberscoop<\/em> <web.archive.org\/web\/20180116135134\/https:\/\/www.cyberscoop.com\/researchers-link-macron-hack-to-apt28-with-moderate-confidence\/>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Ellen Nakashima “Cybersecurity firm finds evidence that Russian military unit was behind DNC hack” (2016), online: The Washington Post<\/em> <www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/cybersecurity-firm-finds-a-link-between-dnc-hack-and-ukrainian-artillery\/2016\/12\/21\/47bf1f5a-c7e3-11e6-bf4b-2c064d32a4bf_story.html?postshare=9631482406341944&tid=ss_fb-bottom>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8]Delbert Tran, “The Law of Attribution: Rules for Attributing the Source of a Cyber Attack” (2018) 20 Yale J. L. & Tech 376.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9]Camino Mortera-Martinez “Game over? Europe’s Cyber Problem” (2018), online (pdf): Centre For European Reform<\/em> <www.cer.eu\/publications\/archive\/policy-brief\/2018\/game-over-europes-cyber-problem>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amidst a military invasion by Russian forces, Ukraine has taken a surprising (and some might say ironic) step: enlisting the aid of hackers and cyber vigilantes. As reported by Reuters, Ukrainian government officials have put forth requests for independent contractors to apply through a google document[1] in the hopes of enlisting their help in the … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “A Taste All Too Familiar: Ukraine Calls For Help From Hackers”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":413,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cpsc-329-602-w22","entry"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Eric Schneider","author_link":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/author\/eric-schneider\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/413"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2153"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2223,"href":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2153\/revisions\/2223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}