Judging the Civilian and Environmental Risks of Cyber Warfare

Jun 12, 2015 | Doug Weir
View Original

How much of a threat do cyber attacks on industrial infrastructure pose to civilians and the environment? More to the point, how do we judge the environmental acceptability of new forms of warfare, or current practices for that matter? Doug Weir takes a look.

During our first legal workshop on toxic remnants of war in 2012, one attendee questioned how the legality of a cyber attack on an industrial facility that caused a damaging chemical release would be dealt with. In common with others present, we didn’t have a clear answer on this. Three years on and the hype bubble surrounding all things cyber is slowly throwing up some initial answers, although much delirium remains. It’s also throwing up some questions, not least of which is whether the international community is currently equipped to judge the environmental acceptability of new military practices.