Security News > 2020 > December > Countries that retaliate too much against cyberattacks make things worse for themselves

Countries that retaliate too much against cyberattacks make things worse for themselves
2020-12-15 05:00

In some cases, countries are not even aware of major cyberattacks against them; Iran only belatedly realized it had been attacked by the Stuxnet worm over a period of years, damaging centrifuges being used in the country's nuclear weapons program.

In the paper, the scholars largely examined scenarios where countries are aware of cyberattacks against them but have imperfect information about the attacks and attackers.

What does work is simultaneously improving detection of attacks and gathering more information about the identity of the attackers, so that a country can pinpoint the other nations they could meaningfully retaliate against.

Gathering more information but having "Too much certainty in attribution" can lead a country straight back into the problem of lashing out against some states, even as others are continuing to plan and commit attacks.

"If you blindly commit yourself more to retaliate after every attack, you increase the risk you're going to be retaliating after false alarms."


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