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Cyberattack as a New Frontier in International Relations

In the recent past, cyberattacks have caused a paradigm shift in international relations by defining power dynamics and the traditional nature of conflicts. In 2010, Stuxnet, a complex piece of malware targeted Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility by infiltrating its industrial control facilities, particularly Siemens centrifuges, leading to their eventual breakdown. This attack caused an imbalance in the country’s Uranium content for years, which shifted the global perception of war, escalated an arms race in cyberspace, and caused many countries to improve their cyber capabilities. Continued exploitation of digital vulnerabilities has caused the destabilization of critical infrastructure and loss of critical data, which has challenged traditional notions of state sovereignty and warfare. As such, cyberattacks should be treated as a national security issue in international relations because of their increasing impact on national infrastructure and their role in shaping diplomatic relations.

Cyberattacks can cripple national infrastructure and undermine sovereignty, thus hindering a country’s ability to function effectively. Traditionally, physical attacks are usually detected early and addressed through appropriate military force. However, this has changed as present-day cyber warfare is difficult to detect and has widespread destructive effects when it targets critical systems, such as healthcare and transportation networks. For instance, the WannaCry ransomware, which was released in 2017, infiltrated more than 200,000 computes, affecting businesses, hospitals, and government agencies globally. In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) systems were compromised to the extent that the affected healthcare facilities were forced to cancel patient appointments to the thousands. This attack resulted in significant economic loss and reputational damage. For example, according to a report by the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care, the WannaCry cyberattack in 2017 cost the NHS approximately £92 million in direct costs and approximately £72 million in the aftermath for upgrading and restoring services. This evidence highlights how cyberattacks can have long-term economic and strategic consequences for critical national infrastructure, thereby affecting national security and public trust.

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In addition to the infrastructure, cyberattacks often challenge a nation’s sovereignty, meaning its ability to govern its own territory without external interference. Whenever cyberattacks infiltrate the systems in a state, it raises questions about the ability of the affected state to control external intruders and protect its territories. For instance, after the Stuxnet malware affected Iran’s systems, it undermined its sovereignty by interfering with a key security project. Iran’s inability to protect itself from the attack demonstrated their vulnerability to cyber warfare and their inability to exercise territorial control over their digital infrastructure. As such, cyberattack should be treated as a key issue in international relations because of its adverse effects on national security and its influence on diplomatic relationships.

Cyberattack often involve the use of cyber tools for espionage and influence campaigns, which affects international trust and cooperation. Nations often use cyber tools to collect data and gather intelligence secretly, without direct acknowledgment, which often causes a disruption in diplomatic relations. For instance, when one state engages in cyber espionage against another state, this could cause the erosion of trust, and create concerns on trade engagements, communication, and military strategies involved. Cyberattacks could also be used as a tool of interfering with political processes, by spreading disinformation and meddling of elections, which can cause a sense of distrust amongst nations. This can affect international relations and the integrity of partnerships by generating an environment of retaliation and suspicion. This can destabilize alliances and prevent international cohesiveness that is needed to address matters related to security, climate change, and trade agreements. Continued threat of cyberattacks could also reinforce a culture of distrust and undermine the need for global unity, which is critical for addressing global challenges. The fact that cyberattacks can pose a potential threat to trust and cooperation reveals that cyberthreats should be treated as a central issue in international relations with urgency.

While cyberattacks is an evident threat to international relation, some argue that cyberattacks are more of a criminal or technological issue rather than a concern for international relations and diplomacy. In some cases, cyberattacks can be motivated by technical reasons and could be initiated by groups of people who have ideological or personal intentions rather than political intentions. Cyberattacks could also be initiated in order to gain financial benefits, such as ransomware attacks that target banks or private organizations. For instance, a BlackPOS malware was installed on Target’s Point of sale (POS) systems to collect credit card data as the customers checked out, which compromised the personal information of more than 40 million customers. Besides, some hacking endeavors could be done in a bid to appeal to the personal goals of cybercriminals, such as cracking a code. Some hackers often count it a personal achievement once they hack into systems that are considered safe. This suggests that some cyberattacks may be more about exploiting vulnerabilities for personal goals and financial reasons, rather than having geopolitical targets.

However, while it is true that some cyberattacks are driven by financial and personal reasons,  most of these attacks are politically motivated.  However, although cyberattacks do involve technology, they are often state-sponsored by enemy countries, targeting government systems, infrastructure, and public trust. Most state-backed cyberattacks often target critical infrastructure and government systems, which creates power struggles within the affected nations. For instance, after Iran’s nuclear systems were attacked in 2010, it was believed that Israel and the United States had created the worm with the intention of sabotaging Iran’s nuclear program and prevent the creation of an Iranian nuclear bomb. This example demonstrates that cyberattacks can be used as tools to facilitate political goals. Similarly, cyber-interference in the 2016 US presidential election, which was characterized by hacking and leaking information, was intended to influence the election’s outcome negatively and undermine the political strength of the rivals. For example, Russian operatives hacked into the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) servers, stole over 19,000 emails, and released them publicly through WikiLeaks. This created widespread controversy and damaged Hillary Clinton’s campaign. These attacks indicate that cyber threats are often deployed with the intention of affecting the dynamics of international power, national sovereignty, and the stability of international relations.

As such, cyberattacks should be treated as a central issue in international relations because of its increasing impact on national security and its role in shaping diplomatic relationships. The research shows that cyberattacks have become a disruptive and powerful force that has changed the landscape of international relations significantly. Although it is believed that cyberattacks are often motivated by financial and technical reasons, the research confirms that critical attacks are often motivated by political reasons and they often target national infrastructure, government systems, and democratic processes. Incidences, such as the Stuxnet worm illustrates how cyber operations are often used to interfere with rival powers, assert dominance, and manipulate geopolitical war without there being an evident warfare. These threats should be addressed effectively as they can damage the foundations of international relations and state sovereignty. As cyberwarfare continues to grow in complexity, it is important to develop appropriate cybersecurity policies and defense strategies to protect the systems against such attacks.