Comments on: Misunderstanding cyberwar

By: …My heart’s in Accra » Blogger “failures” in the Georgian war, and the rise of citizen propaganda

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:30:10 +0000

[...] What’s most interesting to me is the ways in which citizens have become actively involved in these propaganda battles. The “cyberwar” so breathlessly described by many professional journalists is little more than one set of propagandists trying to make the other side’s propaganda inaccessible. Unlike in the Russian/Estonian “cyberwar”, where denial of service attacks made key government services inaccessible, most of the attacks in this conflict are oriented more at defacing Georgian or Russian websites and discussion boards, or simply making them unreachable. (See “Misunderstanding Cyberwar“.) [...]

By: Quick Reading for Today | Security to the Core | Arbor Networks Security

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:13:50 +0000

[...] Russia vs Georgia Cyber War from the SANS ISC is a good read. Very good commentary is available in Misunderstanding cyberwar by Ethan Zuckerman. Finally have a look at Georgia conflict may mean the birth of modern [...]

By: Gifted Amateurs « Re-Moralization

Gifted Amateurs « Re-Moralization — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:47:28 +0000

[...] by gronberg Looking more and more like the cyberattacks on Georgia’s Internet links was home-brew hacking instead of a military operation. Not that that should make anyone feel better about it, of [...]

By: Eccentric Optimism » On the Russia/Georgia cyberwar speculations

Eccentric Optimism » On the Russia/Georgia cyberwar speculations — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:20:11 +0000

[...] Complete article here: Misunderstanding cyberwar [...]

By: Network Security Blog » Cyberwarfare: “…it’s a war being fought with paintballs, not with live rounds.”

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:18:21 +0000

[...] like Ethan Zuckerman’s take on cyberwar: It’s just a DDoS attack and calling this war is like calling hackers terrorists. Sure, [...]

By: c

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:15:43 +0000

I think you are taking media reports and trying to give them your own spin to lessen the alarm of cyberwar. DDOS is only the popular part.
What you dont see are the emails that government employees get telling them not to come to work or their family will be killed. Some of these emails have pictures of their family on them (taken from anyplace they can find them on the web).
You dont see the bank accounts being emptied and identity of Georgian individuals being stolen or messed with en mass.
These things are happening but not being reported.
They happened alot in Estonia too but like people only interested in the shock and awe of DDOS, they dont put the whole picture together and see how it influences those in power in Georgia. Dig deeper for the real results of cyberwar. Find out what it casts to defend against it and you will see MUCH more impact.
I guess the only way to truly understand is to put yourself in their position and see. I for one would be rightly intimidated to see a threatening email, with all my money gone, an my phones and internet down as well.

By: Rafael Alvarado

Rafael Alvarado — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:37:41 +0000

Good article, but I wonder if it’s off point in certain ways. You seem to be saying that because the DOS attacks (1) don’t shed blood, (2) aren’t easily traceable, and (3) are easy to do, therefore they don’t constitute warfare. But, granted that the term “cyberwarfare” is hype (as is any journo or military term prefixed with “cyber”), there is still the problem of motive. Russia stood to gain from the attacks, however little that gain. And it is hard to deny DOS attacks can be very useful parts of a plan to set the table for real warfare. Regarding the source of the attacks (if they are such — I’m not totally convinced either), I wonder if we are seeing a kind of privateering at work. Anwyay ….

By: Hanan Cohen

Hanan Cohen — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:03:13 +0000

The Internet war of Estonia

What would happen if tomorrow the Internet ceased to function? To most critics, and particularly state officials and policy makers, the possibility that the Internet could one day suddenly disappear is no more than a mere speculation, a highly improbable concept. On May 2007, the events that took place in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, proved everyone wrong. On that day, Estonia fell victim to the first-ever, real Internet war. This article delves into the political context that shaped the incident and analyzes some of the key lessons and policy implications that emerged as a consequence.

http://www.ciaonet.org/journals/gjia/v9i1/0000699.pdf

This report is written by Gadi Evron, an Israeli Internet security expert who was called to help.

By: Global Voices Advocacy » Internet and South Ossetia Crisis

Global Voices Advocacy » Internet and South Ossetia Crisis — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 22:46:02 +0000

[...] Zuckrman provides a complete analysis of what he called “Misunderstanding Cyberwar“: The rhetoric of “cyberwarfare” has a reassuring implication: we understand how to [...]