hacking
29 Articles
We’re From the Government, We’re Here to Help: The FBI and the Microsoft Exchange Hack
In a recent operation, the FBI removed malware from hacked Microsoft Exchange servers, and only attempted to notify the servers’ owners after the fact. This approach is almost…
The Latest North Korea Cyber Indictment Should Serve as a Model
Last week, the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its first major cyber-related indictment. An investigation long in the works, the indictment charges…
COVID-19 and International Law Series: Vaccine Theft, Disinformation, the Law Governing Cyber Operations
Ongoing cyberattacks on vaccine production and distribution systems, such as those discovered by IBM yesterday, may threaten efforts to fight COVID-19. But do they break international…
The Latest GRU Indictment: A Failed Exercise in Deterrence
On Oct. 19, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment naming six Russian military intelligence officers, members of GRU Unit 74455, also known as “Sandworm.” Peter Machtiger…
App Stores as Back-Doors for Government Regulation of End-to-End Encryption
App stores make natural chokepoints for de facto government regulation, without the long and politically expensive process of legislation. But the privacy and security implications…
When Constitutional Law and Government Hacking Collide: A Landmark U.K. Ruling Is Relevant on Both Sides of the Pond
The U.K. Supreme Court's landmark judgment in R (Privacy International) v Investigatory Powers Tribunal and others sets an important precedent for oversight of questions of law…
CTRL+HALT+Defeat: State-Sponsored Surveillance and the Suppression of Dissent
A new lawsuit in Israeli court seeks accountability for the export of malicious spyware used for digital surveillance of human rights defenders, journalists, and political dissidents.…
What the Dublin Tram System Hack Reveals about the Future of Hostage Taking
Imagine hackers commandeered a capital city’s transit system, holding it hostage for a cryptocurrency ransom. Consider the implications of this attack: beyond a data breach,…
Was Your Voting Machine Hacked? Without More User-Friendly Devices, We May Not Know
Election-technology monitoring during the midterms logged more than 900 individual reports of voting issues. But the problems weren’t the anticipated cyberattacks.
Shining a Light on Federal Law Enforcement’s Use of Computer Hacking Tools
Ten years ago, an FBI official impersonated an Associated Press reporter to lure and track a teenager suspected of sending in prank bomb threats to his school. To find him, the…
Hacking Back in Black: Legal and Policy Concerns with the Updated Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act
For years now, there has been a discussion surrounding the feasibility of active cyber defense, and allowing private entities or individuals to “hack back” against hostile…
Would the United States Be Responsible for Private Hacking?
Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA) and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced the Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act (H.R. 4036) in the House of Representatives on Oct. 13. The bill would amend…