Tag Archive for: civilian

Red Cross aims to make civilian wartime hacking more humanitarian

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The role of civilian hackers during warfare continues to expand, and now at least one group is trying to set up some rules of engagement.

But whether the proposal from the International Committee of the Red Cross announced Wednesday will gain any traction and make these attempts more humane is anyone’s guess.

Civilian hackers have participated for a long time in various wartime conflicts, as documented by this article today in the Washington Post. For example, hackers targeted Western pro-Syrian supporters back in 2013, and Greek hackers in 2020 targeted numerous Azerbaijani government websites in support of Armenia.

Back in 2010, Richard Clarke in his book “Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It,” only envisioned the scenario where state-sponsored cyberattacks occurred. That seems almost quaint by today’s actions that have expanded into civilian participation.

Another analysis in Lawfare by Kubo Macak, a legal adviser to the Red Cross, cited government-run cyber operations that date back decades. He cites repurposing civilian smartphone apps for military use, such as reporting on enemy troop movements for weapons targeting.

What’s different today is that the Russian/Ukraine war has erased numerous boundaries between civilians and the military. This happened through attacks by both governments on civilian targets and by both governments recruiting civilian hackers to participate in various cyber offensive operations. One analysis written back in 2022 found that despite the initial foray of Russian cyberattacks, they have had minimal impact on Ukraine.

A good illustration of this blurred line is how essential Starlink’s internet access has been for the Ukrainian government’s military operations – a civilian technology that has direct military application.

“The digitalization of societies has fundamentally shifted the role of civilian involvement in conflicts in both quality and quantity,” Macak says. Civilians now have a “direct contribution to the operations on the digital battlefield as support to kinetic operations.”

In their paper, the Red Cross advisers Tilman Rodenhäuser and Mauro Vignati point out it…

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Russian Hackers’ Focus is Civilian Infrastructure

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Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery
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Critical Infrastructure Security
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Cybercrime

Cybersecurity Officials See Prioritization on Infrastructure Over Military Targets

Mihir Bagwe (MihirBagwe) •
December 30, 2022    

Ukraine: Russian Hackers' Focus is Civilian Infrastructure
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: Government of Ukraine)

State-backed Russian hacking groups are continuing to focus less on Ukrainian military targets and much more on civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian cybersecurity officials report.

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Ukraine’s lead cybersecurity defense agency, the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection, or SSSCIP, reports that the intensity of cyberattacks aimed at Ukrainian critical infrastructure has more or less remained constant since Russia launched its full-blown invasion on Feb. 24.


Cyber incidents and cyberattacks counted so far this year by the Ukrainian Computer Emergency Response Team – CERT-UA – totaled more than 2,100, it reports.


However, “it is not military but civil infrastructure that has been the primary target for Russian hackers throughout the year,” SSSCIP says.



Cyberattacks tracked this year by CERT-UA (Source: SSSCIP)

Top Targets: Public and Energy Sectors


The Ukrainian public sector was most targeted, accounting for nearly one quarter of all cases investigated by CERT-UA, followed by the energy sector….

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Israel and Iran Broaden Cyberwar to Attack Civilian Targets

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Millions of ordinary people in Iran and Israel recently found themselves caught in the crossfire of a cyberwar between their countries. In Tehran, a dentist drove around for hours in search of gasoline, waiting in long lines at four gas stations only to come away empty.

In Tel Aviv, a well-known broadcaster panicked as the intimate details of his sex life, and those of hundreds of thousands of others stolen from an L.G.B.T.Q. dating site, were uploaded on social media.

For years, Israel and Iran have engaged in a covert war, by land, sea, air and computer, but the targets have usually been military or government related. Now, the cyberwar has widened to target civilians on a large scale.

In recent weeks, a cyberattack on Iran’s nationwide fuel distribution system paralyzed the country’s 4,300 gas stations, which took 12 days to have service fully restored.

That attack was attributed to Israel by two U.S. defense officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential intelligence assessments. It was followed days later by cyberattacks in Israel against a major medical facility and a popular L.G.B.T.Q. dating site, attacks Israeli officials have attributed to Iran.

The escalation comes as American authorities have warned of Iranian attempts to hack the computer networks of hospitals and other critical infrastructure in the United States. As hopes fade for a diplomatic resurrection of the Iranian nuclear agreement, such attacks are only likely to proliferate.

Hacks have been seeping into civilian arenas for months. Iran’s national railroad was attacked in July, but that relatively unsophisticated hack may not have been Israeli. And Iran is accused of making a failed attack on Israel’s water system last year.

The latest attacks are thought to be the first to do widespread harm to large numbers of civilians. Nondefense computer networks are generally less secure than those tied to state security assets.

No one died in these attacks, but if their goal was to create chaos, anger, and emotional distress on a large scale, they succeeded wildly.

“Perhaps there’s a war going on between Israel and Iran, but from the little civilian’s perspective we are being held as…

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NSWC Crane Division Manager Awarded Civilian Service Commendation Medal > Naval Sea Systems Command > Saved News Module

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CRANE, Ind.,   –  

Clint Seyer, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division’s (NSWC Crane) manager for the Expeditionary Electronic Warfare (EW) Systems Division, was recently  awarded the Department of the Navy (DON) Civilian Service Commendation Medal (CSCM) in recognition of significant contributions to the United States (U.S.) Navy. Seyer was recognized for significant efforts during his 18-year career at NSWC Crane Division.  He developed short and long term strategies that resulted in national leadership recognition in the Electronic Warfare (EW) mission area.

Seyer’s award commendation letter reads, “…your dedication and supervision to the Expeditionary EW mission resonates in every aspect of your leadership and drive…”

CSCM recognizes performance well above what is expected of an individual, and above the degree of excellence reflected in a performance evaluation. Performance is at the equivalent level of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

Seyer began his career at Crane in 2003 as the Quality/Safety Focal Point where he provided quality systems and safety support to the Electro-Optics/Chemical and Bio Sensors Division. He was selected as the Chief Strategist for the Spectrum Warfare Department in 2013. In that position, he was responsible for the department’s strategic planning efforts where he successfully worked to develop short and long term strategies resulting in achievement of national leadership in the EW mission area. In 2018, Mr. Seyer was selected as the Division Manager for the Expeditionary EW Systems Division where he is responsible for management and oversight of a division team supporting several expeditionary EW Systems and direct workload execution of multiple Acquisition Category (ACAT) II programs impacting U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, and U.S. Special Forces positioned around the globe.

As the Chief Strategist, Mr. Seyer positioned NSWC Crane to be a leader in EW Systems among the Department of Defense, working directly with the Spectrum Warfare Systems Department Director to make strategic plans that have enabled successful execution of our Command’s strategic intent. As the Division…

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