Four experts examine cyber security risks that often escape the attention of policymakers, focusing on the complexities of state-affiliated criminal hacking groups.
Key facts
- •The Trump administration issued a memorandum regarding 'transnational cyber-enabled crime' that permits industry to conduct offensive cyber operations against criminal groups.
- •The policy prohibits industry from targeting 'state-associated' hacking groups, creating a difficult distinction for analysts to enforce.
- •Russian government relationships with hackers vary from direct state ownership to informal, occasional cooperation.
- •Experts argue that effective industry involvement requires clear definitions of affiliation and improved intelligence on hacker-state relationships.
Cyber security threats from criminal groups and adversarial states remain a significant concern for U.S. national security. Experts are now highlighting risks that often go overlooked, specifically regarding the blurred lines between independent criminal organizations and state-sponsored hacking entities.
Challenges in Defining State Affiliation
Emily Harding, director of the Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, notes that identifying state ties to criminal organizations is increasingly complex. While a recent Trump administration memorandum allows industry to engage in offensive cyber operations against criminal groups, it explicitly excludes 'state-associated' groups from such actions.
Risks of Ambiguous Relationships
The Russian government maintains a spectrum of relationships with hackers, ranging from groups that function as state subsidiaries to those that only occasionally perform favors for the state. Harding warns that the current policy may create a perverse incentive for nations like Russia and China to formalize ties with hacking groups to shield them from industry-led offensive operations. Without clear conventions defining these affiliations, industry actors may remain hesitant to act due to potential legal complications.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by War on the Rocks.
