There’s a certain romance to ‘hacktivism’ that causes us to suspend judgment. We like thinking that egregious wrongs inspire grassroot forces to take up arms in defense of their ideals. Cyber serves as the great equalizer of the 21st century– so the underdog’s righteous groundswell finds expression via vigilante cyberattacks in the face of overwhelming forces. It’s a charming story. In reality, what we are seeing is hacktivism used as a flimsy cover for state-sponsored wiper attacks and hack-and-leak operations as early as 2013. North Koreans, Russians, Iranians, mercenaries, anarchists, conscientious IT administrators… how do we make heads or tails of the lone asymmetrical threat?
