OTHER-THAN-INTERNET (OTI)CYBERWARFARE: CHALLENGES FOR

ETHICS, LAW, AND POLICY

ByK.Gautham Reddy

2011A8PS364G

Cyber warfare

Actions by a nation to penetrate another nation’s computers or networks for the purposes of causing damage or disruption

Military, Economic, Political, Social and Physical planes of society

Non-kinetic warfare(less violent and more high-tech)

Moral justification for going to cyber- or kinetic counter attack by some legal experts, including in the United States Cyber Command

-When the cyber-harm is commensurable

Lesser intentional harmful actions would count as ‘actions’ in cyberspace, but not cyber-attacks

Article 51 (UN Charter)-An attack may morally be countered through a counter-attack by the country first attacked.

Legal and Ethical considerations

Traditional Warfare Cyber warfare

1. Wounding or killing of human beings (persons and agents) and the permanent destruction of physical entities

1. The damage will be to the functioning of information, and of connected control

2. Intrusion on sovereignty 2. Invasion of photons and electrons

Existing international law does not completely cover some important aspects of cyber warfare.

Major cyber-powers: United States, China, Russia, and other former Soviet republics.

Don’t tend to attack each other due to likelihood massive cyber- or kinetic counter-attack.

Uses of cyber-weapons far less informationally sophisticated nations.

Attribution ProblemWhom to ethically counter-attack ?-Technical means alone(IPs and ISPs)

but they can be easily spoofed

-Information about capabilities, means of malware production, and hostile intent.

This problem is causing hindrance to any possible deterrent policy for cyber warfare.

It is also at the core of most objections to cyber warfare treaties.

Scenario: Nation A attacks Nation B using the cyber resources of Nation C

Is it ethical for Nation B to counter-attack Nation C?-Doctrine of necessity

Alternatives:-Offering assistance- Counter attack but limited

OTI Cyber warfare

Vectors – which are the means by which data infiltration or exfiltration takes place.

OTI vectors: storage devices, operating systems, altered hardware chips etc.

Internet vector-Low entry cost

OTI vector-High entry cost

OTI Cyber warfare

Iran-Stuxnet-Vector: USB storage device-attacking modern SCADA and PLC systems-one-fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges

Syria-OTI attack on the air defense networked radar system-Disabled Syrian air defense temporarily-Likely vector: Buried optical cables

Ethical and Policy Issues of OTI Cyberwarfare

OTI cyber attacks-large and sophisticated players (cyber powers)

Players ∝ Sophistication of the technology

Moral Measures:

-Supervision of its information systems

-Prohibition of all personal electronic devices in the vicinity

-Redundancy

Normative considerations

To prevent attack:

Trade barriers with cyber hostile nations

If attacked:

Increasing one’s own cyber-espionage against the ‘attacking’ nation.

Cyber powers-World manufacturers and fabricators of information systems

Legitimacy of OTI attack of cyber hostile nation by cyber power as a caution

-analogous to placing explosive charges

Conclusions

Going to be more frequent than genuine acts of cyberwarfare in future.

Even among the more optimistic commentators admit that a workable treaty will probably not be possible for a decade or more.