The Impact of the DDOs Tactics in Interstate Relations: A Case Study of the DDOs Tactics amid Russian-Ukrainian Conflict

Abstract

The planet is engulfed in an unprecedented technological revolution. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become its driver for the last half century. Their phenomenon is striking in its quantitative and qualitative scales, but most importantly - in the influence that ICTs have on the individual, society and the state, including interstate relationship. Alongside the opportunities, the ICT also create fundamentally new challenges that are related to [cyber]security issues. This research analyses the utilization of the DDoS tactics, one of the most spread cyber malice, for the political purposes in interstate conflict and cooperation relationship. The research is based on exploring two cases of utilization of the DDoS tactics amid Russian-Ukrainian conflict and focuses on the study of the motives of the intruders, the effects of the DDoS attacks and counter measures conducted by the victim state against the intruders and organizers – the first, the DDoS attack on Ukrainian telecommunication networks in 2014, and the second, the DDoS attack on the systems of Ukrainian Central Election Commission amid the 2014 Presidential elections. The analysis of the counter measures committed by the Ukrainian government reveals that in the first case, the counter measures were not too harsh because the effect of the attack was limited within three regions of the country – Lugansk, Donetsk and Crimean peninsula. In addition, due to amid continuing political crisis in the country, then interim government of Ukraine was too weak and fragmented to use the administrative, financial, and military resources of the country. In the second case, vice versa, the counter measures were harsher because the effect of the attack was nationwide and was aimed to delegitimize the President elect of Ukraine. Additionally, new head of state had the full fledged rights over the all available internal and external resources to use.