Ukraine’s Military Recognizes Hackers for Cyber-Attacks Against Russia
A team of vigilante hackers known as One Fist has been recognized by Ukraine’s military for their cyber-attacks against Russia. The group has been involved in stealing data from Russian military firms and hacking cameras to spy on troops. They have reportedly been sent awards of gratitude for their efforts.
Gratitude for Hacking
The certificates of gratitude were sent to the hackers from eight different countries, including the UK, US, and Poland, for their “significant contribution to the development and maintenance of vital activities of the military”. One of the hackers, US man Kristopher Kortright, aka “Voltage,” expressed his delight at being officially recognized. ‘Voltage’ mentioned that he has devoted himself to hacking for Ukraine, even at the cost of losing his job and spending all his life’s savings. He stated, “I’ve lost my job doing this and spent all my life savings in pursuit of a victory for Ukraine. This award is a real morale-booster.”
Concerns Around Rewarding Hacking
There are concerns about the practice of states encouraging civilian hackers, especially for malicious and possibly criminal hacks. Dr. Lukasz Olejnik, author of Philosophy of Cyber-security, expressed that such awards can be “dangerous.” He mentioned, “Giving out awards may further blur the lines between combatants and civilians, and even undermine the recent call by the ICRC to limit and end the involvement of civilians in combat operations. In the long run, such an erosion is dangerous.” Emily Taylor, the chief executive of Oxford Information Labs and editor of Chatham House Cyber Policy journal, believes that the hacking awards are a landmark moment that might shift thinking about how cyber volunteers are used in conflicts.
“Governments usually discourage non-state actors from taking direct action in the cyber-domain, for fear of escalation or unintended consequences, but wartime is often a period of extraordinary technological innovation, and the Ukraine invasion is no exception,” she remarked.
Previously, in October, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned against the use and encouragement of civilian hackers, emphasizing the need to uphold the rules of war and even published guidelines to reinforce them.
