"Cyberwarfare is not a convention. It really affects people's lives."
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is going to equate cybercrimes that violate international law with traditional war crimes, that is, to judge and punish the perpetrators just as severely. This was announced by the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, Karim Khan.
In an article published in the quarterly edition of Foreign Policy Analytics, Khan stressed that he will take control of the investigation of cyber incidents that can be qualified as violations of the Rome Statute.
"Cyberwarfare is not a convention. It really affects people's lives, " Khan writes. "Attacks on critical infrastructure, such as medical facilities or electricity systems, can affect many, especially the most vulnerable citizens."
A representative of the prosecutor's Office confirmed the official position of the court: "We believe that under certain conditions cybercrimes can be regarded as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide."
Last year, the Center for Human Rights at the University of California sent an official request to the prosecutor's office, calling for an investigation into the illegal actions of the Sandworm group. Since 2014, attackers have attacked critical infrastructure in several countries. They are responsible for large — scale hacks of power grids and the spread of NotPetya malware, which destroyed the data of organizations around the world. In total, the damage amounted to more than $ 10 billion.
Bobby Chesney, director of the Center for International Security and Law, described the prosecutor's decision as " groundbreaking, but not surprising." In his opinion, this expands the legal framework and is an important step in the fight against international cybercrime.
Concluding his article, Karim Khan writes: "Of course, we are facing challenges. But by joining forces and believing that the new law will help achieve justice, we will work together to create a more humane world. The ICC will play its part in this."
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is going to equate cybercrimes that violate international law with traditional war crimes, that is, to judge and punish the perpetrators just as severely. This was announced by the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, Karim Khan.
In an article published in the quarterly edition of Foreign Policy Analytics, Khan stressed that he will take control of the investigation of cyber incidents that can be qualified as violations of the Rome Statute.
"Cyberwarfare is not a convention. It really affects people's lives, " Khan writes. "Attacks on critical infrastructure, such as medical facilities or electricity systems, can affect many, especially the most vulnerable citizens."
A representative of the prosecutor's Office confirmed the official position of the court: "We believe that under certain conditions cybercrimes can be regarded as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide."
Last year, the Center for Human Rights at the University of California sent an official request to the prosecutor's office, calling for an investigation into the illegal actions of the Sandworm group. Since 2014, attackers have attacked critical infrastructure in several countries. They are responsible for large — scale hacks of power grids and the spread of NotPetya malware, which destroyed the data of organizations around the world. In total, the damage amounted to more than $ 10 billion.
Bobby Chesney, director of the Center for International Security and Law, described the prosecutor's decision as " groundbreaking, but not surprising." In his opinion, this expands the legal framework and is an important step in the fight against international cybercrime.
Concluding his article, Karim Khan writes: "Of course, we are facing challenges. But by joining forces and believing that the new law will help achieve justice, we will work together to create a more humane world. The ICC will play its part in this."
