While a cyberattack can trigger an armed response from Nato, Minrik cautioned that the damage caused by NotPetya in Ukraine and elsewhere was not sufficient for such an escalation. Photograph: Barbara Walton/EPA
The NotPetya malware that wiped computers at organisations including Maersk, Merck and the Ukrainian government in June could count as a violation of sovereignty, according to a legal researcher at Natos cybersecurity division.
If the malware outbreak was state-sponsored, the Nato researcher says, it could open the possiblity of countermeasures. Those could come through retaliatory cyber--attacks, or more conventional means such as sanctions, but they must fall short of a military use of force.
Tom Minrik, a researcher at the organisations Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia, made the comments after the Centre concluded that the malware outbreak, which overwhelmingly hit Ukraine but also affected more than 60 other countries, can most likely be attributed to a state actor.
While a cyber-attack can trigger an armed response from Nato, Minrik cautioned that the damage caused by NotPetya was not sufficient for such an escalation. The law of armed conflict applies only if a cyber-attack causes damage with consequences comparable to an armed attack, during an ongoing international armed conflict, but so far there are reports of neither, he said.
However, Minrik, added, as important government systems have been targeted, then in case the operation is attributed to a state this could count as a violation of sovereignty. Consequently, this could be an internationally wrongful act, which might give the targeted states several options to respond with countermeasures.
A countermeasure is any state response which would be illegal in typical circumstances, but can be authorised as a reaction to an internationally wrongful act by another state. A hack back response, for instance, could be a countermeasure, but Nato says that such responses do not necessarily have to be conducted by cyber means; they cannot, however, affect third countries, nor can they amount to a use of force.
The suspicion that NotPetya so called because the malware is superficially similar to an earlier ransomware variant called Petya may be the work of a state sponsored actor arose shortly after the outbreak began in late June.
While the malware appears to be ransomware (a type of program which holds critical files hostage in exchange for payment), it contained several flaws that prevented it from ever being an effective moneymaker for its creators. Among other things, the payment infrastructure was tied to one email address outside their control, which was promptly blocked by the webmail provider, preventing victims form ever receiving their decryption key and unlocking their files.
But the malware, which was overwhelmingly seeded to victims through a compromised Ukrainian accounting program, did function well as a wiper, designed simply to render systems unusable and cause economic damage. It spread rapidly inside business networks, using a combination of exploits stolen from the NSA and more common weaknesses in older versions of Windows, ensuring that whole organisations found themselves unable to operate for days on end.
Unlike WannaCry, an earlier piece of ransomware also suspected of being the work of state-sponsored attackers (in that case, explicitly linked to North Korea by intelligence agencies including the NSA and GCHQ), NotPetya did not contain any functionality enabling it to spread unconstrained across the internet, limiting the vast majority of its damage to those organisations directly infected by the compromised accounting software.
View post:
'NotPetya' malware attacks could warrant retaliation, says Nato researcher - The Guardian
- NATO Protesters Receive 5- To 8-Year Prison Terms - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- NATO - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Latvia: US troops arrive in Baltics for NATO drill - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- No NATO. May 2012. Archive. Chicago, Il - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Erkkio Tuomioja: "Nato suojaa Suomea meteoriiteilta". - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- US troops arrive in Latvia for NATO exercises: Baltic states concerned by Russian military threat - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Voglio andare a vivere a Laveno dove e' nato Pozzetto - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- OcaqTv - Rusiya NATO srhdini pozdu -- F-16-lar havaya qalxd - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Men of War Assault Squad Cold War Mod - NATO vs Warsaw Pact - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- US troops in Poland: American soldiers arrive for NATO exercises in response to Russia threat - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Ancona 23-04-14 PdCI - La crisi dell'Ucraina, la NATO e l'UE: pericoli di guerra e lotta x la Pace - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Eastermonday Peace ralley NATO Bchel germany 21.04.2014 - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- How to change Gear 2 Strap NATO no tool needed - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- In Context: The War Report #3 - Ukraine and NATO - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- On The Wrist Omega Speedmaster Black NATO Strap - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- US, NATO expanding on Russia doorstep: Analyst - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- NATO War Games Send Warning to Moscow - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- NATO to deploy recon flights over Poland - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- Nato News - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- NATO - State - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- NATO: Definition from Answers.com - Answers - The Most ... - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- Marine Le Pen: Vyvediem Franczsko z NATO - francztina, rutina - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- 5 NATO troops killed in Kandahar Afghanistan UK's helicopter crash - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- European observers detained in Ukraine are branded 'Nato spies' - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- Prostittas priecjas par NATO karavriem Latvij - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- MV Bill - A Luz #PersianaBaixaMix (prod. DJ Nato pk) Part. @KmillaCdd - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- Furious Russia Proposes Retaliation Against NATO Countries! - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- Conversation: NATO's Evolving Mission - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- NATO supply trucks stuck in Pakistan - Video - April 28th, 2014 [April 28th, 2014]
- NATO troops killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash - Video - April 28th, 2014 [April 28th, 2014]
- Slovakia: NATO exercises in Central Europe - Video - April 28th, 2014 [April 28th, 2014]
- "NATO 3" individuals sentenced - Video - April 28th, 2014 [April 28th, 2014]
- NATO exercise scenario: Naval response to invasion of allied country - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- NATO News and Video - FOX News Topics - FOXNews.com - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- RAF Typhoons Arrive in Lithuania to Reinforce NATO Air Policing Mission - Video - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Poland: French Rafale fighter jets join NATO force - Video - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- RAF Deploys Typhoon Jets To Bolster Nato Air Policing Mission - Video - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Sunday 4/27/2014 - Tarpley Points Out Fake-OSCE Observers Are Actually NATO Military Officers - Video - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Germany: Pro-Russians rally against NATO in Frankfurt - Video - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- April 28 2014 Breaking News NATO minesweepers set off on Baltic deployment - Video - April 30th, 2014 [April 30th, 2014]
- NATO forces serve world bankers: Analyst - Video - April 30th, 2014 [April 30th, 2014]
- 2 NATO troops killed in attack in eastern Afghanistan - Video - April 30th, 2014 [April 30th, 2014]
- STEFANO BORGONOVO:ATTACCANTE NATO IL DOCUMENTARIO - Video - April 30th, 2014 [April 30th, 2014]
- RAF Deploys Typhoon Jets To Bolster NATO Air Policing Mission - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO opens second Baltic air base in Estonia with 4 Danish fighter jets amid Ukraine crisis - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO triples fighter jets in Baltic countries - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Lithuania: US hands over NATO air patrol to UK - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Ukraine: Kerry announces more support from NATO towards coup - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Scoring Political Points? NATO bolsters forces in Eastern Europe - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Putin: NATO Chief Rasmussen secretly taped, leaked meeting when he was Danish PM - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Russia Accuses NATO of 'Provocative' Actions - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO & its future NAZI headquarters - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO Fest 2014 - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- RAF Jets Respond To Ukraine Crisis 28.04.14 - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- OSCE team in Ukraine NATO spies: Analyst - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO commander: Europe concept on international borders changed after Crimea annexation - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO allies take over Baltic mission from Air Force - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO official says Russia must now be viewed as more of an enemy than a partner - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO official says Russia now an adversary - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization - The New York Times - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Estonian Air Base Turns Into Second NATO Baltic States Hub - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Finale Ligure Freeride H e Base nato con Patrik - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Ellodesse Mv.1, 2, 3 - nato in Synthesia - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO Boosts Presence in Eastern Europe Amid Continued Turmoil in Ukraine - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO's efforts to attain advancement in ariel warfare and defense HD Stock Footage - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Me Gusta By Nato 2014 - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Toward a Europe Whole and Free: Secretary of State John Kerry - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- NATO official: Russian moves in Ukraine pose 'grave challenge' to global security system - May 2nd, 2014 [May 2nd, 2014]
- As NATO Builds It's Forces The Economy Is On The Brink Of Collapse -- Episode 355 - Video - May 2nd, 2014 [May 2nd, 2014]
- 15 years on: NATO's Murino Massacre of innocent children remembered In the NOW. - Video - May 2nd, 2014 [May 2nd, 2014]
- Nato -- finally finding its feet? - Video - May 2nd, 2014 [May 2nd, 2014]
- Europe Responds to Russian Aggression: NATO opens second Baltic hub at Estonia's Amari air base - Video - May 2nd, 2014 [May 2nd, 2014]
- NATO air strength triples in Baltic states - Video - May 2nd, 2014 [May 2nd, 2014]
- Russia now an adversary, NATO official says - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]
- NATO Movie - Video - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]
- The Expandables: NATO talking heads, war tech on 'crusade control' - Video - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]
- Friend to Foe? NATO's Deputy Head classifies Russia as enemy over Ukrainian crisis - Video - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]
- Tiger's Eye Dance by Oasis Dancers at 2014 NATO - JVC Version - Video - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]
- Cleopatra's Dance by Oasis Dancers at 2014 NATO - JVC Version - Video - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]
- Slave To The Rhythm Dance by Oasis Dancer at 2014 NATO - JVC Version - Video - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]