cybersecurity-diplomacy

This chapter details the emergence of the Sandworm hacking group and its unprecedented cyberattack on Ukraine's power grid in late 2015, marking a new era of cyberwarfare that crossed from digital intrusion to physical sabotage. Despite clear evidence of the attack's severity and implications for U.S. infrastructure, government agencies initially downplayed the threat and withheld public warnings, missing a critical opportunity to establish international norms and deterrence against cyberattacks on civilian infrastructure. The chapter contrasts the muted response to Sandworm with the decisive public condemnation and retaliation following North Korea's 2014 Sony hack, highlighting political and bureaucratic challenges in addressing state-sponsored cyberwarfare.

Chapter 11 details Russia's strategic efforts under Putin to assert influence over international internet governance and cybersecurity norms, particularly through the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It chronicles Russia's proposals for increased state control over cyberspace, its opposition to Western-led internet freedom initiatives, and the diplomatic clashes at global conferences such as WCIT 2012. The chapter also highlights Russia's framing of the internet as a domain of geopolitical contestation, including accusations of Western cyber aggression and calls for a military-free internet zone.