Cyberattacks are nothing particularly new to the world and Ukraine had suffered many such attacks by Russia over recent years. Russia was knowingly exploiting Ukraine’s digital vulnerabilities as a proving ground for nearly a decade. Malware such as Sandworm and BlackEnergy had caused untold damage to the Ukraine population and government previously and allowed Russia to perfect their cyberattacks for further, more global events. They had been planting cyber Sleeper Digital Cells for years especially in the US and UK.
Then, coincidently, the week after the Chinese winter Olympic games had finished, Russia launched an all out cyber offensive against 70 Ukraine government websites and due to these being poorly, and insecurely maintained, toppled one by one causing havoc and disruption to the Ukraine government and critical infrastructure. As Q said in James Bond, “I can do more damage by breakfast sipping my Earl Grey tea with my keyboard than you ever can in the field.” Sadly Q was right as we witness daily. The Keyboard and mouse have indeed become mightier than the Sword.
The barrage of cyberattacks against Ukraine constitutes the first Cyberwar by one Nation upon another and crossed a very thin red line, a line, that until now often had the hallmarks of a Nation State, but was confined to criminal activity, immaterial of whom the perpetrators were. This however was now WAR. The cyberwar was simply a precursor, the softening of a county that would precede a kinetic war and tens of thousands of people would lose their lives. This war was the first war for nearly 80 years that rang out deathly klaxons across Europe and the world.
Digital Blood on Their Hands addresses the issues that the digital world has created. The culpability, causal links and even liabilities that go towards these war crime atrocities. Often too frightening to believe and also too compelling to dismiss. Digital Blood on Their Hands tells a side to the world’s first ever cyberwar that you would never otherwise see, or possibly hear about.
