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Can a cyber-attack really be considered an 'act of war'?
- noonespecial 15y agoAn act of war would probably be anything done by a foreign nation intended to cause loss of life or a great deal of damage to physical property. Going ga-ga over the "cyber" part is as stupid as it is distracting. If warships sailed into NY harbor and opened up, no one would go "gah! a boat attack!"
- nodata 15y agoI think the reasons for the fuss are: i) that it being "cyber" makes it easier for false-flag attacks. ii) cyber attacks are cheaper and easier.
- atlantic 15y agoThe focus should be on the effects, not on the medium. A concerted attack that targets infrastructure, for example a nuclear power station or the national power grid, should be considered an act of war. But an attack against email accounts will generally fall under the category of espionage. To call theft of information an act of war would seem to be yet another excuse to go out starting new wars.