understanding and distinguishing among cyber activities

Dave Piscitello

VP Security and ICT Coordination,

ICANN

cy·ber (sībər) adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of the culture

of computers, information technology, and

virtual reality

this formal definition is often unhelpful when

cyber is used in conjunction with other terms

because it does not provide context

context for cyber activities

MEANS FINANCIALability to finance actions

TECHNOLOGICAL ability to digitally mediate actions

INTELLECTUALability to plan and act (talent)

MOTIVE POLITICAL AIMBUSINESS AIMFINANCIAL GAINNOTORIETY…

OPPORTUNITY

ACCESS TO INTERNETthe digital mediation playing field

closer look at… means• technology and talent for cyber activities must be

financed

– these are cost centers for legitimate or criminal enterprises

• commercial, NGO, or government financing is

largely pay for digital goods, bounties, or open

source (and sweat equity)

• criminal financing encompasses use of stolen or

exploited goods and bartering for digital goods –

credit cards, botnets, software – in an underground

economy

• activism uses open source; hacktivism may use

criminal means

a closer look at… opportunity• the Internet is an open access, common

technology infrastructure

• its power derives from adaptability

• these characteristics serve all actors,

according to their aim

a closer look at… motive

• political aim: everything from controlling,

oppressing, or inciting citizenry to

opposition against suppression of rights

or free speech

• commercial aim: from corporate

espionage to tracking/profiling consumers

cybersecurity body of

practices and

measures to

protect

networks,

computers, and

data from

digitally-

mediated

attacks

https://www.flickr.com/photos/splorp/

cyberattackan “online” or

digitally

mediated attack

against digital or

physical world

assets or

infrastructures

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A T T A C K

cybercrime

online activity

that has been

classified as a

crime, or an

online activity

that is committed

in violation of lawhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/23905174@N00/

cyberwarfare

Digitally

mediated

attacks on a

nation state

by a nation

statehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/58687716@N05/

cyberterrorism

Digitally

mediated

intimidation

attack on a

nation’s

citizenry by

civilians to

personalize war

cybersurveillance

Digitally

mediated and

covert

information

monitoring or

collection

NDTV Convergence Limited

cyberactivism“hacktivism”

Digitally-mediated

protest against

commercial or

non-commercial

entities or a

nation state a

group or

individual

https://www.flickr.com/photos/foto_db/

cybervandalism

Digitally-mediated

destruction of, or

damage to,

commercial or

non-commercial

entities or a nation

state a group or

individual

activities are rarely “exclusively ciber”

• activities in cyberspace are not that

unique from activities in the physical world

• the Internet is the shared playing field

• consider M M O – means, motive,

opportunity – and you’ll find it easy to

distinguish activities

questions?