Tag Archive for: war’

Considering the relation of Cyber and War risks

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As a marine insurer, the situation we might face would likely be the other way around which is a “cyber exclusion on a war coverage”.
There are things to think about when we look into the marine cyber exclusion clauses that are used today. Many of these clauses are structured by the following logic: any loss directly or indirectly caused by or contrivuted to or arising from a cyber attack will be excluded, however in the case if the clause is endorsed on a war cover, this exclusion will not apply for cases when cyber is used to launch, guide or fire a weapon or missile”.

Here we can see that there is an intention to cover the losses caused by artilleries and missiles even though it is cyber related, and it makes sense considering the reason why war clauses exist.

Now when we think about the situation we have today, is it only artilleries and missiles that are related to cyber (computer, system, software, programme or any other electronic system)? For instance, what about mines? Are they not related to electronic systems or programmes? We are not talking about mines in the 19th century but the ones used today.

The causation wording is also an important factor. If the wordings such as “directly or indirectly caused by” are used, it extends far beyond the proximate/dominant cause of the loss. As long as there is a connection between the risk and the loss, even a remote risk could trigger the exclusion. This means the cyber factor does not have to be a proximate/dominant cause but a slight risk that contributed to the loss. If a mine is using some electronic system in some way, the loss caused by the mine may not be covered.

Another instance; assuming a vessel/cargo has been captured and such operation was executed with a computer used within the naval force. This may trigger “directly or indirectly caused by use of computer” and therefore not be covered.

To sum up the point, in modern day warfare, any measure or operation would be based on at least some contribution of computer, system, software, programme or any other electronic system… which is cyber.

In other words, is there anything that does not relate to cyber in today’s warfare, which could be something for us…

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Karakurt warning. Clipminer in the wild. GootLoader evolves. Cyber ops in Russia’s hybrid war. Russian agencies buy VPNs.

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Dateline Moscow, Kyiv, Washington: Gray zone operations.

Ukraine at D+98: Friction in the gray zone. (The CyberWire) Advancing into the rubble it’s created, Russia’s army tries to come to grips with combat refusals. The White House says that the cyber operations NSA Director Nakasone alluded to this week are entirely consistent with the US policy of avoiding direct combat with Russia. Observers work to understand the state of the cyber phase of the hybrid war. And Russian censorship seems to be producing friction in some Russian government operations. (That’s why agencies in Moscow are buying VPNs.)

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 99 (Al Jazeera) As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 99th day, we take a look at the main developments.

Exclusive: Ukraine troops retreating in Donbas have a plan, Luhansk governor says (Newsweek) Serhiy Haidai told Newsweek the defenders remain defiant despite the intense Russian attacks, which included a strike on a chemical plant.

Russia-Ukraine latest news: Kyiv may switch off Europe’s largest nuclear powerplant (The Telegraph) Ukraine would consider switching off its Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that lies in Russian-occupied territory if Kyiv loses control of operations at the site, an aide to the prime minister has said, Interfax news agency reports.

Documents Reveal Hundreds of Russian Troops Broke Ranks Over Ukraine Orders (Wall Street Journal) Desertions and refusal to engage in the invasion have put Moscow in a bind over how to punish service members without drawing more attention to the problem. “So many people don’t want to fight.”

The Russian Military’s People Problem (Foreign Affairs) It’s hard for Moscow to win while mistreating its soldiers.

Zelensky will be tried as war criminal if Russia captures him (Newsweek) A lawmaker in the self-declared, Russia-backed Donetsk People’s Republic accused Ukraine’s president of sending “neo-Nazis to Donbas to kill civilians.”

Six lessons the Ukraine conflict has taught us about modern warfare (The Telegraph) From drones to the use of tanks, we dissect the masterstrokes and miscalculations of military tactics after three months of fighting

Some see cyberwar in Ukraine. Others see…

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NSA general confirms US offensive cyber ops in Ukraine war • The Register

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America’s military conducted offensive cyber operations to support Ukraine in its response to Russia’s illegal invasion, US Cyber Command chief General Paul Nakasone has said.

“We’ve conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum; offensive, defensive, [and] information operations,” General Nakasone told Sky News in an interview that aired Wednesday.

Nakasone, who also serves as director of the NSA, didn’t provide specific details about the offensive operations, though he said they were lawful and complied with US policy.

“My job is to provide a series of options to the secretary of defense and the President, and so that’s what I do,” he said. 

White House press spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre doubled down on the message, saying: “We don’t negotiate our security assistance packages to Ukraine. We are doing exactly what the President said he would do … to provide security assistance that is above and beyond.”

Tom Kellermann, head of cybersecurity strategy at VMware, called the move “historic.”

“Since 2013, the Russians have waged an insurgency in American cyberspace and our retaliation and disruption has been muted,” Kellermann, who is also a global fellow for cyber policy at the Wilson Center, told The Register. 

“The paradigm has changed as Russia must play defense now,” he continued. “The US brings to bear the formidable capabilities of Cyber Command against rogue nation states. Cyberspace is a new domain for warfare.”

Tenable CEO Amit Yoran added: “That the US has engaged in offensive cyber operations should be of no surprise to anyone. There are very few countries around the globe today who do not use such measures. The fact that these operations are acknowledged in a public way is unusual.”

Last month, the US and the European…

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War in Ukraine, Metaverse und Splinternet

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The war in Ukraine, Metaverse and Splinternet were among the most discussed items during the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

The topic of cyber security was primarily about the role of cyberattacks in the Ukraine war. Cyber is not the focus of day-to-day public war reporting but is an integral part of warfare on both sides. This applies above all to the use of “social media.” Ukrainian president Wlodomir Selensky has introduced a new dimension, how to use the Internet to tell his story to the rest of the world in a real war. The Russians have blocked nearly all western media, including social websites, to distribute their own narrative. And there are many private videos that create a special “info-sphere” outside of government-controlled media reporting.

In the various panels, it was reported that next to the propaganda war, numerous cyberattacks are directly or indirectly linked to the military fighting: classic DDoS attacks (primarily on public institutions such as ministries and the media), attacks on critical infrastructure (satellite connections) and the use of autonomous weapon systems (drones). It is still too early to assess the effectiveness of so-called “cyber weapons.” However, it has become clear that cyber is not an isolated, independent area in a military conflict—something like a separated “cyberwar”—but it is integrated into military operations by land, sea and air forces. Jen Easterly, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security (CISA) of the US, made it clear that strengthening Ukraine’s cyber defenses is an indispensable component of military aid packages for the country under attack.

Cybercrime

In the civil sector, it was primarily cybercrime. Cybercrime continues to grow rapidly. The best way to counteract it is to increase hardware and software security. Criminals lived from their weak points. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella called for “zero tolerance” for such bugs when developing new digital products and services. “Security by design” is the order of the day. So-called “backdoors” to facilitate criminal prosecution in cyberspace were rejected. Backdoors are counterproductive and…

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