{"id":221877,"date":"2021-04-08T14:50:20","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T11:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/should-countries-ever-respond-to-cyberattacks-with-physical-force\/"},"modified":"2021-04-08T14:50:20","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T11:50:20","slug":"should-countries-ever-respond-to-cyberattacks-with-physical-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/should-countries-ever-respond-to-cyberattacks-with-physical-force\/","title":{"rendered":"#Should countries ever respond to cyberattacks with physical force?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4143ba66e1d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4143ba66e1d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/should-countries-ever-respond-to-cyberattacks-with-physical-force\/#%E2%80%98Just_war_theory\" >\u2018Just war\u2019 theory<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/should-countries-ever-respond-to-cyberattacks-with-physical-force\/#Espionage_or_attack\" >Espionage or attack?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/should-countries-ever-respond-to-cyberattacks-with-physical-force\/#Cyber_violence\" >Cyber violence<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/should-countries-ever-respond-to-cyberattacks-with-physical-force\/#Intentionality\" >Intentionality<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Should countries ever respond to cyberattacks with physical force?<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                            In conventional warfare, it\u2019s accepted that if a state finds itself under attack, it\u2019s entitled to respond \u2013 either with defensive force, or with a counterattack. But it\u2019s less clear how countries should respond to cyberattacks: state-backed hacks which often have dangerous real-world implications.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2021\/mar\/08\/microsoft-cyber-attack-biden-emergency-task-force\">The 2020 SolarWinds hack<\/a>, attributed to state-backed Russian hackers, breached security at around 100 private companies. But it also infiltrated nine US federal agencies \u2013 including the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chathamhouse.org\/2021\/02\/solarwinds-hack-valuable-lesson-cybersecurity?gclid=Cj0KCQjwo-aCBhC-ARIsAAkNQivQecAKCMQKg23wXNavyLrz5r6xn9tFy2XUwmYK08r5GT0ReriiKOwaAqtKEALw_wcB\">US Energy Department<\/a>, which oversees the country\u2019s nuclear weapons stockpile.<\/p>\n<p>Such attacks are expected to become more common. Recently, the UK\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/collections\/the-integrated-review-2021\">2021 Strategic Defence Review<\/a> confirmed the creation of a \u201cNational Cyber Force\u201d tasked with developing effective offensive responses to such cyberattacks, which could even include <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/2021\/mar\/16\/defence-review-uk-could-use-trident-to-counter-cyber-attack\">responding to them with nuclear weapons<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Philosophers like myself would urge caution and restraint here. As cyberattacks are new and ambiguous forms of threat, careful ethical consideration should take place before we decide upon <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ropriate responses.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Just_war_theory\"><\/span>\u2018Just war\u2019 theory<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We already have a millennia-old framework designed to regulate the use of physical force in wars. It\u2019s called \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/philpapers.org\/rec\/FINIJW\">just war theory<\/a>\u201d, and its rules determine whether or not it\u2019s morally justified to launch military operations against a target. Given how cyber systems can be weaponized, it seems natural for ethicists to build \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/eprints.whiterose.ac.uk\/120228\/3\/Just%20Cyber%20War%20-%20Final%20.pdf\">cyberwar<\/a>\u201d into existing just war theory.<\/p>\n<p>But not everyone is convinced. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk\/2012\/06\/cyberwarfare-no-new-ethics-needed\/\">Sceptics<\/a> doubt whether cyberwar requires new ethics, with some even questioning whether <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1080\/01402390.2011.608939?journalCode=fjss20#:%7E:text=Cyber%2520war%2520does%2520not%2520take%2520place%2520in%2520the%2520present.,subversion%252C%2520espionage%252C%2520and%2520sabotage.\">cyberwar is actually possible<\/a>. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/eprints.whiterose.ac.uk\/120228\/3\/Just%20Cyber%20War%20-%20Final%20.pdf\">Radicals<\/a>, meanwhile, believe cyberwar requires a wholesale rethink, and are building an entirely new theory of \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11245-014-9245-8\">just information war<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Read more:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/cyber-attacks-are-rewriting-the-rules-of-modern-warfare-and-we-arent-prepared-for-the-consequences-117043\">Cyber attacks are rewriting the \u2018rules\u2019 of modern warfare \u2013 and we aren\u2019t prepared for the consequences<\/a><br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Lending credence to the radicals\u2019 claim is the assumption that cyberattacks are fundamentally different from physical force. After all, while conventional military force targets human bodies and their built environment, cyberattacks chiefly harm data and virtual objects. Crucially, while physical attacks are \u201cviolent\u201d, cyberattacks seem to present \u2013 if anything \u2013 an alternative to violence.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, some ethicists highlight the fact that cyber operations can sometimes lead to physical harm. For instance, when hackers <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/how-hackers-tried-to-add-dangerous-lye-into-a-citys-water-supply\/\">infiltrated the system<\/a> controlling the fresh water supply in Oldsmar, Florida, in February 2021, they weaponized physical infrastructure by attempting to poison the water. And a ransomware attack on a D\u00fcsseldorf hospital in September 2020 actually contributed to the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/technology-54204356\">death of a patient<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Espionage_or_attack\"><\/span>Espionage or attack?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Clearly, cyberattacks can result in grave harms that states have a responsibility to defend their citizens against. But cyberattacks are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/daily-comment\/after-the-solarwinds-hack-we-have-no-idea-what-cyber-dangers-we-face\">ambiguous<\/a> \u2013 US senator Mitt Romney characterized the SolarWinds hack as \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/usa-cyber-breach-idUSKBN28U0IK\">an invasion<\/a>\u201d, while Mark Warner of the US Senate Intelligence Committee placed it \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/usa-cyber-breach-idUSKBN28U0IK\">in that grey area between espionage and an attack<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Read more: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/we-arent-in-a-cyber-war-despite-what-britains-top-general-thinks-125578\">We aren\u2019t in a cyber war \u2013 despite what Britain\u2019s top general thinks<\/a><br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>For defence agencies, the difference matters. If they regard state-backed hacks as attacks, they may believe themselves entitled to launch offensive counterattacks. But if hacks are just espionage, they may be dismissed as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/daily-comment\/after-the-solarwinds-hack-we-have-no-idea-what-cyber-dangers-we-face\">business as usual<\/a>, part of the everyday intelligence work of states.<\/p>\n<p>In just war theory, some \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oxford.universitypressscholarship.com\/view\/10.1093\/acprof:oso\/9780199609857.001.0001\/acprof-9780199609857\">revisionist<\/a>\u201d philosophers find it useful to go back to basics. They analyse individual threats and acts of violence in isolation before carefully building up a robust theory of complex, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/ethics-and-international-affairs\/article\/abs\/war-as-selfdefense\/308F9B7076C9695E5A1B7E3F5FFAD64A\">large-scale war<\/a>. Because cyber-attacks are new and ambiguous, the revisionist approach may help us decide how best to respond to them.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cyber_violence\"><\/span>Cyber violence<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I have argued previously that some cyber-attacks are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s13347-017-0299-6\">acts of violence<\/a>. That\u2019s partially because, as noted above, cyberattacks can cause grave physical harms just like conventional violence.<\/p>\n<p>But the gravity of harms alone doesn\u2019t help us categorize cyber-attacks as acts of violence. Think of the myriad ways that the often lethal harm of a coronavirus infection can be transmitted: through <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu\/2020\/04\/14\/coronavirus-negligence-liability-for-covid-19-transmission\/\">recklessness, negligence, or mischief<\/a>; by accident; and even sometimes <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2021\/mar\/08\/return-to-schools-could-alter-covid-roadmap-boris-johnson-warns\">as a byproduct<\/a> of an otherwise legitimate policy.<\/p>\n<p>We wouldn\u2019t say these harms resulted from violence, and nor would we argue that defensive violence is an appropriate response to them. Instead, what seems to make some cyber operations violent attacks \u2013 rather than mere espionage \u2013 is that they express similar sorts of intention to those expressed in physical violence.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Intentionality\"><\/span>Intentionality<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To explore how, consider an example of physical violence: someone shooting a distant, unwitting human target with a long-range rifle.<\/p>\n<p>Like all agents of violence, the sniper seems to intend one thing, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dro.dur.ac.uk\/23594\/\">but really intends two<\/a>. First, she intends to harm her target. But second, and less obviously, she intends to dominate her target. The target has no means of evading or deflecting the threat of the bullet.<\/p>\n<p>This relationship, of domination versus defencelessness, can be established by any number of technologies, from swinging a club to launching a rocket from a remote drone. In these cases the threat is undetectable \u2013 like a cyberattack on drinking water, you don\u2019t know anything is wrong until it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n<p>Many cyberattacks <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s13347-017-0299-6\">have a similar profile<\/a>. They establish technical domination by creating a vulnerability and positioning themselves to execute harm at the hacker\u2019s will. Like boobytrap bombs, they leverage secrecy and surprise to keep their victims from acting until it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n<p>If some cyberattacks are acts of violence, then perhaps they could justify defensive violence or counterattack. That would depend on the degree of destruction threatened, and defenders would still have to satisfy age-old <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/plato.stanford.edu\/entries\/war\/\">just war<\/a> rules.<\/p>\n<p>But the same premise means that employing offensive cyber-attacks ought to be seen as a grave matter \u2013 as grave, in some cases, as physical attacks. It is vital, then, that the UK\u2019s new National Cyber Force directs its operations with the same care and restraint as if they were using military weapons in a conventional war.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\" lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/158463\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><em>This article by\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/christopher-j-finlay-219652\">Christopher J. Finlay<\/a>, Professor in Political Theory, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/durham-university-867\">Durham University<\/a>,\u00a0is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/should-cyberwar-be-met-with-physical-force-moral-philosophy-can-help-us-decide-158463\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/insights\/2021\/04\/08\/should-countries-ever-respond-to-cyberattacks-with-physical-force\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Should countries ever respond to cyberattacks with physical force?&#8221; In conventional warfare, it\u2019s accepted that if a state finds itself under attack, it\u2019s entitled to respond \u2013 either with defensive force, or with a counterattack. But it\u2019s less clear how countries should respond to cyberattacks: state-backed hacks which often have dangerous real-world implications. The 2020&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":221878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/04\/Soldiers-war-keyboard-shutterstock-hed.jpg&signature=4b7534ddaf885517f23bb9edd898cd67","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[101292,67821],"class_list":["post-221877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-cyberattacks","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}