In 2023, the The international community will be faced with the question of how to dissolve the IT Army of Ukraine. Governments around the world will desire a return to the status quo from before Russia invaded Ukraine—and before hacktivism was legalized. This may be easier said than done.
With a quarter of a million subscribers to the Ukrainian IT Army Telegram channel and a bilingual website providing attack instructions, target status, command tools, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) bots, it’s not difficult to understand why governments have warned their citizens are against participating. The problem is not the cause of injustice but the lack of legal protection for civilians engaging in cyberattacks.
History provides a valuable lesson here. In a WIRED article, journalist Matt Burgess rightly pointed out that “a government-led volunteer unit designed to operate in the midst of a rapidly evolving war zone…is unprecedented” in the field. IT sector. We have precedent for land wars involving international volunteers. For the International Brigades that fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s—immortalized by Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell—legitimate protection lasted only as long as they were soldiers. active warrior. After they were disbanded by order of an international commission, their treatment back home was highly dependent on their country of origin. Greeted as heroes in some countries, in others they are prosecuted by authorities, barred from military service or threatened with loss of citizenship. Their continued protection is not guaranteed.
Similarly, answering calls targeting Russian websites and networks could result in Ukrainian IT Army volunteers being flagged as suspects and even prosecuted for cybercrime in the past. suitable time. Justifying action in favor of a good country against an evil oppressor does not translate into criminal law. DDoS is DDoS is DDoS.
Therefore, in 2023, it will become increasingly important to distinguish between volunteers who work solely to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses and those who actively participate in offensive operations, as well as distinguishing between criminal for-profit groups (Conti), established hacker collectives (Anonymous) and morally motivated individuals who joined the IT Army as a “one-off”.
Report that the IT Army includes a growing number of so-called script kids and first-time hackers also raises the possibility that Ukraine’s call to action may have put some in the way. career path. A key question in 2023 will be how to harness those skills well.
Like Center for Strategic and International Studies identified, coordination of civilian volunteers may be problematic. The International Brigades of the Spanish War did not have to wait long for another conflict: World War II was approaching. Without effective command and control, former members of the Ukrainian IT Army could simply disperse. Some of them may decide to hire their services as network mercenaries. Others may seek momentum in another social justice issue, whether it is state aggression or human rights violations. Just like freedom of the press and the right to dissent, the right to reproduce after being denied Roe sues Wade.
Thus, in 2023, voluntary cyber operations in support of Ukraine can be both an opportunity and a challenge. Governments would do well to consider Ukraine’s IT Army as a recruiting ground—a pool of talent for formal cyber-volunteer programs. Without an international amnesty, the members of this international brigade would become the object of interest.
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