Britain’s principles for cyberwarfare are a good start
But what is a responsible cyber power? On April 4th Britain’s National Cyber Force sought to answer that question by publishing a document setting out how it views the purpose and principles of “offensive cyber”—the disruption of computer networks, as distinct from cyber-espionage. It also revealed the identity of theBritain’s transparency is a welcome step forward. Cyber operations are shrouded in secrecy.
The British example suggests several criteria to judge whether cyber power is being used responsibly. The first is what sort of targets are chosen. North Korean hackers once attacked an American film studio because it released an unflattering movie about Kim Jong Un, the country’s leader. Iran has attacked American banks in response to sanctions. Russia has used cyber tactics to meddle in elections in America and Europe.
Another is how well attacks are calibrated. Are they precise in their effects and mindful of escalation? Or do they hurl malicious code around wildly? Officials and experts have spent years debating how international law, including the laws of armed conflict, apply to cyberspace. The Tallinn Manual, associated with, is one such guide. Russian intelligence services do not pay much attention to this sort of thing, but responsible cyber commanders need lawyers by their side.
A third test is how well cyber forces protect their arsenals. The hacking tools used by states are often powerful and dangerous. They can cause considerable harm if they become widely available. In 2017 a North Korean cyber-attack spread ransomware worldwide in part by repurposing malicious code that had leaked out of America’s National Security Agency . As more countries embrace offensive cyber operation, the security of their tools will become a bigger issue.
Finally, cyber forces need accountability. Britain’s view of offensive cyber as a means of targeted psychological disruption, rather than an all-purpose weapon of power projection, has much to commend it. But it also pushes cyber power into the murky realm of covert action. Oversight of this is doubly hard: the work is both highly secret and also highly technical. Lawmakers and judges often struggle to grasp the details.
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