Computational representations of high profile international cyber incidents

Abstract

Several high profile incidents have shaped both popular and government understanding of international cyber conflicts. One of the most iconic is the distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) on Estonian government, media and financial sites in April-May, 2007. The attack by “hacktivists” in Russia, perhaps supported by the Russian government, was a response to symbolic and legal moves by the Estonian government to expunge traces of Estonia’s subjugation to the Soviet Union. The disruptions from the DDoS, though temporary, were severe because Estonia by its own choice was one of the most wired countries in Europe. The shock of the attack was also felt elsewhere. NATO had to weigh a response to a cyber attack on one of its members; many governments, including the Bush administration, more sharply saw cyber vulnerability as a threat to national security.