Hacktivism on the rise: how politicised cyber-attacks are undermining democracy

This month news surfaced that key UK infrastructure - including the Post Office and banks - had been subject to an attack by Iranian hackers. And while the story undoubtedly grabbed headlines, the attack was far from a one-off. Instead, it was the latest in a series of politically motivated cyber assaults, and as the tactic gains rapid traction, world leaders and governments are being forced to rethink their cyber strategies.

Political turmoil powering cyber attacks

Politicaldisruption provides a ripe ground for cyber-attacks against governments andinternational institutions; according to NETSCOUT, political andideological disputes represent the third greatest motivation for launching distributed denial ofservice (DDoS) attacks. With the current political turmoil fueled by eventssuch as Brexit, coupled with greater availability of tools to take downwebsites and attack infrastructure, political hacktivism has become rife. DDoSattacks against the International Affairs sector - which includes the UnitedNations, the International Monetary Fund, and foreign consulates and embassies-  for example, increased by almost 200% H2 2017 and H2 2018.

Destabalising democracy

Major incidentsinclude the purported attack surrounding the EU referendum, with MPs suggesting that the "register to vote" site crashingcould have been the result of a foreign cyber-attack. Russian infiltration inthe 2016 US Presidential elections meanwhile wielded significant harm toHillary Clinton's campaign through the theft of over 150,000 emails anddocuments which led to the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers.

The attacksagainst Clinton and the Democratic party in particular highlight the huge scaledamage that can be brought about by political cyber-attacks; writing in The Guardian, Professor Kathleen Hall Jamiesonargues that "the theft and leaking of Democratic emails were key to Clinton'selection defeat," and resulted in the media being dominated by anti-Clintonnews that swayed public opinion. Alongside the huge risks associated withsensitive data being exposed, polticised cyber attacks can prevent the publicfrom accessing information, and can hamper voter registration, ultimatelypresenting a major challenge to democracy, election integrity and nationstates' sovereignty.

Cyber challenges fueling government policy

Against this landscape, political leaders are understandably concerned and are being forced to adopt a more hardline approach to cybersecurity. Writing earlier in the year, the Washington Post asserts that "election security will be the hot new Democratic campaign issue" in the upcoming 2020 candidate race, and notes a major shift from 2016 when cybersecurity only played a minor role. On the other side of the Atlantic, the UK government has been forced to respond to growing instances of political hacktivism from Iran and Russia, announcing in a statement that:

"The UK and its allies are once again united in demonstrating that the international community will stand up against cyber-attacks by other governments and that we will work together to respond to them."

However,with the threat increasing, and potentially our entire democratic process atstake, words alone aren't enough; it is critical that governments continue toeducate themselves about evolving political threats, and work together toprotect their country, their citizens and their sovereignty. To support this,closer cooperation with the private sector will be key. In 2018, a number oftech firms offered free products to help secure the US midterm elections, withgreater collaboration between the public and private sector likely to takeplace in the future. From a PR standpoint, such initiatives, ifwell-coordinated, can both drive media traction and demonstrate corporatesocial responsibility in protecting democracy, as we saw last year. Althoughthe companies received some media flack for their lack of coordination, theoverall sentiment was positive.

As May'sEuropean elections approach and America counts down to the Democraticprimaries, observers will be keenly watching to see how attacks manifest themselves,and whether lessons have been learned from past assaults. While the attacksthemselves might not be predictable, one thing is clear: the risk is both real,and escalating, and governments and businesses must work together to combatpolitical hacktivism, and protect democracy.

At Babel, we recognise that in a world wherehackers can be motivated by political or financial incentives - or just simplywant to cause disruption - businesses need to know how to protect theirorganisation, stakeholders, reputations and bottom line. We work with clientsacross the technology sector to help them prepare for crises, and manage communicationsshould a crisis occur. For more information, or to speak to a member of theBabel team about your businesses' crisis strategy please get in touch.