Cyber attacks international law

Governing Technologies

Cyber attacks international law, Cyber attacks on the supply chain and key infrastructure have the potential to cause significant physical, economic, and reputational harm. These attacks also risk our national security. Despite these warnings and several terrible events, both public and private systems remain susceptible. Recently, Solar Winds and Colonial Pipeline intrusions have confirmed the clear predictions that the cybersecurity world has been making for years.

We must be realistic in the observation of the rising geopolitical risks. These issues have their focus on privacy, connectivity, supply chain security, and information freedom. In some cases, governments are battling for a better position in governing technologies. 

One could argue that the field of new technologies requires more regulation to foster confidence and provide legal certainty. The best regulatory solution is determinant of the technology’s advancement and uptake, as well as close in link to the policy and legal activities. Alternatively, we could counter that too much regulation will hinder the innovation of creative solutions and will not encourage parties to invest in such technology. 

Search Of A Coherent International Approach

Standardization is one of the regulatory solutions that work well with the characteristics of disruptive technology like blockchain. It can develop into more precise policy guidelines and inform future regulatory actions. This is becoming a strategic instrument for countries, as evidenced by increased worldwide political attention to and engagement at these venues.

The UN has released two key consensus-based documents that address state interests and cyberspace stability. These debates focus on the “four pillars” of international law, confidence building, state behavior norms, and capacity building. Although the UN GGE process was highly critical for its lack of inclusivity and transparency. It was able to find general agreement on several challenging problems. The UN procedures have both emphasized the value and role of voluntary non-binding norms, though in limited ways. If states are unable to agree on legally binding regulations, then norms are the next best choice for influencing state behavior in cyberspace.