

Currently released so far... 12900 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
2011/05/18
2011/05/19
2011/05/20
2011/05/21
2011/05/22
2011/05/23
2011/05/24
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Consulate Karachi
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AE
ASEC
AS
AR
AMGT
AFIN
AORC
AU
AG
AF
APER
ABLD
ADCO
ABUD
AM
AID
AJ
AEMR
AMED
AL
ASUP
AN
AIT
ACOA
ANET
ASIG
AA
AGMT
AINF
AFFAIRS
ADANA
AY
AADP
ARF
ACS
AGR
AMCHAMS
AECL
AUC
APEC
APECO
AFGHANISTAN
ACAO
ASEAN
ADM
AGAO
AND
ADPM
ATRN
ALOW
AROC
APCS
AORG
AO
AODE
ACABQ
AX
AMEX
AZ
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
ASCH
AFU
AMG
ATPDEA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AORL
BR
BO
BA
BM
BL
BH
BK
BEXP
BILAT
BTIO
BF
BU
BD
BY
BE
BG
BB
BBSR
BT
BRUSSELS
BP
BX
BC
BIDEN
BMGT
BWC
BN
BTIU
CA
CS
CO
CD
CR
CPAS
CDG
CI
CDC
CBW
CU
CVIS
CE
CONS
CH
CMGT
CASC
CY
CW
CG
CJAN
CIDA
CODEL
CWC
CIA
CBSA
CEUDA
CFED
CLINTON
CAC
CL
CACS
CIC
CHR
CAPC
CM
CT
CTR
COM
CROS
CN
COPUOS
CV
CF
CARSON
CONDOLEEZZA
CICTE
CYPRUS
COUNTER
COUNTRY
CBE
CKGR
CVR
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CLEARANCE
COE
CARICOM
CB
CSW
CITT
CACM
CDB
CJUS
CTM
CAN
CLMT
CBC
CNARC
CIS
EFIN
ECON
ETRD
EAID
EC
EU
EUN
EINV
EG
ETTC
EIND
ELAB
EAGR
ECIN
EINT
ENRG
EFIS
ELTN
EAIR
EPET
EZ
ET
ENERG
ECPS
EWWT
EI
ETRN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
ER
ES
EN
EMIN
ESENV
ENNP
ENGR
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENVI
ECINECONCS
ELN
EFTA
ELECTIONS
ENVR
EXTERNAL
ENIV
ESA
EPA
ETRO
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUR
ECUN
EXIM
EK
EUREM
ECONOMY
EUMEM
ERNG
EFINECONCS
EAIDS
ECA
ETRC
EINVEFIN
ETC
EAP
EINN
ECONOMIC
EXBS
ENGY
ECONOMICS
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
EFIM
EREL
EINVETC
ECONCS
ETRA
EAIG
EUC
ERD
IQ
IR
IS
IN
IA
IC
IZ
ICRC
ID
IDA
IT
IO
IAEA
ICJ
ICAO
IV
IBRD
IMF
IAHRC
IWC
ILO
ISLAMISTS
IGAD
ILC
ITU
ITF
INRA
INRO
ICTY
INRB
ITALY
IBET
IL
INTELSAT
ISRAELI
IMO
IDP
ICTR
ITRA
IRC
IRAQI
IEFIN
IPR
IIP
INMARSAT
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
INTERNAL
IRS
INTERPOL
IEA
INR
ISRAEL
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
IACI
INDO
KPAO
KMDR
KCOR
KNNP
KJUS
KCRM
KDEM
KVPR
KTFN
KPRP
KTIP
KSCA
KSUM
KTEX
KIDE
KIRF
KV
KTIA
KN
KG
KFRD
KWMN
KUNR
KISL
KU
KGHG
KPKO
KOMS
KPAL
KIPR
KMCA
KOMC
KRVC
KSEP
KAWC
KOLY
KWBG
KACT
KFLO
KHIV
KZ
KGIC
KBCT
KDRG
KBTR
KCFE
KE
KHLS
KMPI
KAWK
KPWR
KIRC
KRAD
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFLU
KPLS
KRIM
KSTH
KDDG
KPRV
KICC
KS
KSAF
KBIO
KREC
KCGC
KCIP
KTDB
KWAC
KPAI
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFSC
KSTC
KMFO
KID
KNAR
KMIG
KVRP
KNEI
KGIT
KNSD
KHDP
KSAC
KWMM
KR
KCOM
KAID
KENV
KVIR
KHSA
KO
KCRS
KPOA
KTER
KFIN
KSPR
KTBT
KX
KCMR
KMOC
KCRCM
KBTS
KSEO
KOCI
KNUP
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KSCI
KTLA
KCSY
KTRD
KMRS
KNPP
KJUST
KRCM
KCFC
KCHG
KREL
KFTFN
KLIG
KDEMAF
KGCC
KICA
KHUM
KSEC
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KPIR
KWWMN
KOM
KWNM
KRFD
KRGY
KIFR
KWMNCS
KPAK
MARR
MOPS
MUCN
MCAP
MNUC
MEPP
MTCRE
MASS
MO
MIL
MX
MAS
MEDIA
MAR
MI
MQADHAFI
MPOS
MTCR
MK
MG
MA
MY
MU
ML
MPS
MW
MD
MARAD
MC
MR
MT
MTRE
MASC
MRCRE
MAPP
MZ
MP
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MEPN
MEPI
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MCC
MIK
MAPS
MV
MILITARY
MDC
MASSMNUC
NI
NZ
NL
NO
NPT
NATO
NS
NU
NP
NPA
NSFO
NDP
NT
NW
NASA
NSG
NE
NORAD
NAFTA
NG
NATIONAL
NSSP
NV
NSF
NK
NA
NEW
NPG
NR
NGO
NIPP
NZUS
NH
NC
NRR
NAR
NATOPREL
NSC
OIIP
OPRC
OTRA
OEXC
OREP
OSCE
OVIP
OPAD
OBSP
OECD
OFFICIALS
OAS
OPDC
ODIP
OPCW
OES
OFDP
OPIC
OCS
OIC
OHUM
OSCI
OVP
ODC
OIE
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OFDA
ON
OCII
PREL
PINR
PGOV
PARM
PE
PTER
PHUM
PO
PINS
PREF
PK
PM
POL
PBTS
PNAT
PHSA
PAS
PA
PL
PGIV
PHUMPREL
POGOV
PAK
PEL
PROP
PP
PINL
PBT
PTBS
PG
PINF
PRL
PALESTINIAN
PSEPC
POSTS
PAHO
PHUMPGOV
PGOC
PNR
PREFA
PMIL
POLITICS
POLICY
PROV
PBIO
PREO
PAO
PDOV
PGOF
POV
PCI
PRAM
PSI
POLITICAL
PAIGH
PJUS
PARMS
PROG
PTERE
PRGOV
PORG
PS
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PNG
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
POLINT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PY
PLN
PHUH
PF
PHUS
PU
PARTIES
PCUL
PGGV
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
RU
RS
REGION
REACTION
REPORT
RO
RW
RCMP
RSO
RP
RM
ROOD
RFE
RICE
ROBERT
RSP
RF
RELATIONS
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
RUPREL
SENV
SY
SNAR
SCUL
SP
SF
SW
SOCI
SU
SMIG
SO
SA
SR
SZ
SI
SC
SEVN
SN
STEINBERG
SK
SH
SNARCS
SPCE
SARS
SNARN
SG
SL
SYRIA
SIPRS
SAARC
SNARIZ
SWE
SYR
SEN
SCRS
SAN
ST
SIPDIS
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SENVKGHG
SANC
SHI
SHUM
TU
TSPA
TBIO
TS
TRGY
TINT
TPHY
TN
TW
TH
TZ
TSPL
TP
TBID
TI
TF
TD
TT
TNGD
TL
TC
THPY
TIP
TX
TV
TK
TERRORISM
TO
TRSY
TURKEY
TFIN
TAGS
TR
UK
UNSC
UNGA
UNESCO
UNHRC
UP
UN
USTR
US
UNDC
UY
UNICEF
UNDP
UNMIK
UNAUS
UNCHC
UNCSD
USOAS
UNFCYP
UG
UNIDROIT
UNO
UV
UNHCR
UNEP
USEU
UZ
UNCND
USUN
UNCHR
USNC
USPS
USAID
UE
UNVIE
UAE
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNDESCO
UNC
UNPUOS
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08TALLINN326, ESTONIA CHARTS LEGAL, MILITARY FUTURE OF CYBER
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08TALLINN326.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
08TALLINN326 | 2008-09-22 14:07 | 2011-02-22 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Tallinn |
VZCZCXYZ0010
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHTL #0326/01 2661407
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 221407Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY TALLINN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0819
INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2616
RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI 0191
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE
9/22/2008 14:07 CONFIDENTIAL
C O N F I D E N T I A L TALLINN 000326
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/NB, EEB/CIP and INR/EC
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS TINT NATO RU GG EN
SUBJECT: ESTONIA CHARTS LEGAL, MILITARY FUTURE OF CYBER
WARFARE (INCLUDING APPLICABILITY OF NATO'S ARTICLE V)
Classified by: DCM Karen Decker for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)
¶1. (C) Summary and Comment: In the wake of the August cyber
attacks against government websites in the Republic of
Georgia, Estonia has provided both material and technical
assistance to Tbilisi. Lawyers at the Cyber Center of
Excellence in Tallinn have produced a legal analysis of the
status of cyber warfare under NATO's Article V. The
Ministry of Defense (MOD) is prioritizing strategic-level
cyber defense planning, and the MOD's forthcoming 2008
Cyber Defense Strategy will clarify lines of authority and
create trip-wires to declare a national security threat
during a future attack. Various Estonian experts all agree
on one thing: Georgia was the latest victim of this new
form of warfare, and the attacks are getting more effective
each time. Estonia continues to lead international
thinking on the cyber issue, having positioned itself as a
niche expert on cyber defense based on its combination of
past experience, a high level of IT expertise and
dependence, and a small country's inevitable fears for its
existence. End Summary and Comment.
¶2. (C) BACKGROUND: In April and May 2007, Estonia grabbed
international headlines as it suffered from coordinated,
massive, and potentially crippling distributed-denial-of-
service attacks (DDOS) from the cyberspace. The attacks of
2007 were a wake-up call for national cyber security in
much the same way as the January 2006 Gazprom cut-off of
Ukraine was on energy security. For a period of about ten
days in late April/early May 2007, key websites of the
Government of Estonia (GOE) and private banks could not
function, or had intermittent availability, and the country
was forced to cut itself off temporarily from the World
Wide Web. Both the financial cost of these attacks, and
the parties ultimately responsible, are still unknown. The
former - if known by banks such as swedebank and SEB
Uhispank - is guarded; but the latter is widely assumed
both by the GOE and many cyber security experts to be a
network of Russian hackers guided and funded by the
Kremlin. As the story goes, these hackers used popular
Russian blog sites to instruct willing 'patriotic hackers'
to assist in punishing Estonia for the GOE's decision to
move the WWII-era Bronze Soldier monument. In addition to
enlisting 'script kiddies' who did nothing more than click
on links provided to them, or pass along a line of
malicious code, this core group of hackers acted as 'bot-
herders' thus magnifying their impact by exploiting scores
of 'bot.net' or 'zombie' computers to send DDOS attacks
unbeknownst to their users. Estonia's ad-hoc defense in
April 2007, led by its national Computer Emergency Response
Team (CERT) was to first increase the capacity of state
websites to handle the massive volume of traffic, and then
- as a last resort - to pull the plug to the outside world.
Learning from Experience, and Passing it on...
--------------------------------------------- -
¶3. (C) Now fast-forward to the cyber attacks on Georgian
websites in July/August 2008. (NOTE: The cyber attacks
actually preceded the August 8 Russian ground assault into
South Ossetia and Abkhazia, starting with a July 21 mild
DDOS attack against the Georgian presidential website. END
NOTE.) In the wake of these attacks, the GOE has been at
the forefront of the response to assist Georgia, and the
ensuing debate within NATO and the EU on the meaning of the
attacks. The GOE response has taken the form of (1)
applied expertise, (2) legal thinking about how to
characterize and respond to cyber warfare, and (3)
strategic defense planning on institutional responses to
cyber war. In addition to humanitarian and financial aid,
Estonia immediately sent two cyber-security experts from
its CERT to assist the Georgian CERT for roughly ten days.
Meanwhile, the Estonian Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of
Excellence (CCDCOE) began an analysis of the implications
of cyber warfare both under international law and NATO
Article V. (NOTE: The CCDCOE currently has experts from
four of the 15 NATO members who have expressed a desire to
be Sponsoring Nations, including the United States. END
NOTE.) At the same time, the MOD's forthcoming 2008 Cyber
Defense Strategy will propose new institutional structures
to deal with future attacks.
Estonia's CERT Mission to Georgia
---------------------------------
¶4. (C) EmbOffs met with Hillar Aarelaid, Director of CERT-
Estonia for his read on the recent assistance mission to
Georgia. Aarelaid recapped the profile of the cyber
attacks on Georgia: the country's internet satellite or
microwave links which could not be shut down (inside
Russia) were simply bombed (in southern Georgia). The
ensuing DDOS attacks, though intense for several days, had
less impact on commerce and government than in Estonia last
year, where over 90 percent of the public banks online, and
the GOE convenes virtual cabinet meetings. Yet the attacks
on Georgia were more sophisticated than those against
Estonia, and did not repeat the same mistakes. For
example, in 2007, the 'zombie-bots' flooded Estonian
cyberspace with identical messages that were more easily
filtered. The August 2008 attacks on Georgia did not carry
such a message.
¶5. (C) Although Aarelaid stressed that CERT-Estonia does
not have the full picture yet, he offered some assessments
of the CERT-Georgia response. Roughly "ten years behind"
Estonia, CERT-Georgia "did some stupid things" such as
failing to keep archives of collected network flow data,
which would have provided material for forensic analysis of
the attacks. However, they wisely did not waste time
defending GOG websites, he said, but simply hosted them on
Estonian, U.S. and public-domain websites until the attack
was over. (Steps, according to the CCDCOE, which could not
have been taken without the lessons learned from the 2007
attacks against Estonia.) Aarelaid felt that another cyber
attack on Estonia "...won't happen again the same way..."
but could be triggered by nothing more than rumors. For
example, what could have turned into a run on the banks in
Estonia during the brief November 2007 panic over a rumored
currency devaluation was averted by luck. Money transfers
into dollars spiked, he explained, but since most Estonians
bank online, these transfers did not deplete banks' actual
cash reserves. In terms of improving responses, Aarelaid
felt that "We are fighting a global threat locally..." but
acknowledged this may be unavoidable since, by their
nature, cyber attacks require both a real-time response and
a high degree of trust among those coordinating the
defense, seemingly impossible at the international level.
Although CERT-Estonia currently has a permanent staff of
only four, Aarelaid said he "...could hire about 200 extra
people in an hour..." if needed to respond to a future
attack.
Civil Law, Criminal Law or Article V?
--------------------------------------
¶6. (SBU) On the legal front, experts at Estonia's CCDCOE
quickly prepared a scholarly analysis of the possible legal
responses to cyber warfare. In "Cyber Attacks Against
Georgia: Legal Lessons Learned" the CCDCOE confronted two
of the biggest challenges to (A) determining whether a
cyber attack rises to the level of a national security
threat and (B) assigning responsibility to a state actor
who could then be the object of a legal or military
response. The report examines the potential status of
cyber attacks as an act of violence from the view of the
Geneva Conventions, the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) and
NATO Article V. The authors acknowledge at the outset the
complexity of a situation where "...states use private
companies to conduct cyber attacks and thus grant the
nation deniability..." Since the North Atlantic Treaty
itself does not define an 'armed attack', the report falls
back on examinations of international law. It states that
both level of damage inflicted by a cyber attack, and the
intent of the perpetrator would factor into whether a DDOS
rises to the level of 'violence'. Considering finally the
intent of the attack, its resulting damages, destruction or
deaths (i.e. due to paralyzed emergency response networks)
and the ability of its attribution to a willing state
actor, the CCDCOE concludes that "If all questions are
answered affirmatively, there is a strong basis for
application of Article V [to cyber attacks]."
Institutional Responses: MOD and Strategic Planning
--------------------------------------------- ------
¶7. (SBU) Estonia's Ministry of Defense (MOD) takes cyber
defense very seriously. In a 2007 address to Estonia's
Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), Minister Jaak
Aaviksoo likened a massive DDOS as "...the modern
equivalent of a 19th century naval blockade of a nation's
ports." In a September 2008 address to a CompTIA/OSAC
seminar on cyber security, Aaviksoo again put the threat of
cyber attacks in existential terms: "At a basic level, life
and liberty depend upon your ability to control the space
around you. Threats from cyberspace are national security
threats, and cyber warfare is here to stay." In response
to the attacks on Georgia, former Prime Minister Mart Laar
called on Estonia immediately to "...create state
structures for the anticipation and control of information
attacks." That is, to get better at confronting the
propaganda that accompanies a cyber war aggressor's attempt
to blind its enemy to what is happening, and drown out
competition in the battle for world opinion.
¶8. (C) In a meeting with EconOff, XXXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXXXX, outlined MOD's position
on cyber defense and Article V. (NOTE: XXXXXXXXXXXX went to
XXXXXXXXXXXX and served as XXXXXXXXXXXX at the
Estonian embassy in XXXXXXXXXXXX prior to taking up his
current position. END NOTE.) MOD needs much better cyber
intelligence, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, since even the CERT sees only
a small percentage of overall internet traffic in Estonia.
Banks such as swedebank here are often used for "test runs"
of the latest, third-generation cyber attacks before these
methods are used against larger western banks. While MOD
does not take a position on whether cyber attacks should be
subject to Article V, XXXXXXXXXXXX did outline three important
considerations. First, a clear state actor is not
necessarily a pre-requisite for invocation of Article V
(witness NATO's response to the attacks on the United
States on September 11, 2001). Second, there cannot be
different standards for invoking Article V depending on the
victim's ability to respond. Thus, having a cyber defense
capability sufficient to thwart otherwise-crippling DDOS
attacks should not affect the Article V umbrella. And
third, there must be a clear idea of what Article V
collective defense would mean in response to cyber attacks.
Would it mean other members agree to host the targeted
government's websites on their servers, or other measures?
¶9. (C) While this debate continues within NATO and the
international community, MOD is taking steps to improve its
domestic response capability. Its forthcoming 2008 Cyber
Defense Strategy will recommend a range of measures to
increase international cooperation, raise awareness and
improve the effectiveness of national cyber defense. A key
recommendation is for the creation of a 'Cyber Security
Council' under the structure of the GOE's national security
committee which reports directly to the Prime Minister.
During a future cyber attack, and with input from the CERT,
private banks and others, this committee would make the
call whether a given cyber attack - which after all occur
all the time at low levels - rises to the level of a
national security threat. This committee would also
clarify who has the authority, for example, to unplug
Estonia from the internet. In the case of the 2007
attacks, XXXXXXXXXXXX noted, it was simply one technician who
decided on his own this was the best response to the
growing volume of attacks.
PHILLIPS