Session details

Cybercriminals attack people, organisations and governments for many reasons: malice, money and fame. However, in the past few years, a new breed of cybercriminal has emerged: ‘hacktivists’ use their skills to promote a political agenda. They may or may not be directly affiliated with any government or political party, but their actions can wreak havoc in places in which they will never step foot. Going beyond generally accepted espionage and spycraft, the most high-profile example of this so far has been the hack of the United States Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the release of its senior staff’s private emails on WikiLeaks, attributed to groups linked to Russian security services. In the face of this, how should the US and the rest of the world respond? What can governments, businesses and individuals do to protect themselves or fight back when attacked?