Crisis Arises From Cyber Attack
Digital conflict and military action are increasingly intertwined, and civilian targets, private businesses and everyday internet users alike are vulnerable in the digital crossfire. But there are forces at work trying to promote peace online. It will be a tough challenge: In May 2019, Israel responded to unspecified cyberattacks by Hamas with an immediate airstrike that destroyed the Gaza Strip building where the hackers were located.
The US had done something similar in 2015, launching a drone strike to kill an alleged Islamic State hacker, but that operation was months in the making. In July 2019, the US also reversed the equation, digitally disabling Iranian missile-launching computers in response to Iran shooting down a US military drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
Cybercriminals are using those programs, among others, to hijack computer systems and data storage in governments across the country. Some companies have been forced to revert to one-to-one instant-messaging and passing written memos in the wake of ransomware attacks and other cybercrimes.
The key will be focusing on a more positive vision of peace that includes better governance, respect for human rights, making internet access more widely available around the world, and teaching everyone how to protect themselves and each other online. This will not happen overnight, and the path may not be a straight line.
One possibility could take inspiration from efforts to fight climate change, by asking individual nations, towns, groups and even individuals to announce Cyber Peace Pledges, to build momentum toward a more collective solution. In subsequent years, the world has drafted the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as numerous treaties and conventions, but it’s possible to all seeking to ensure global peace.
Rayhan Ahmed Topader
London
United Kingdom
[email protected]
