Two recent Russian malicious cyber operations in Latvia targeted the government and a social media platform. But, legally, those instances do not rise to the level of a “cyberattack” as defined by the Tallinn Manual 2.0. Despite not satisfying the elements of a cyberattack per se, the Kremlin is nonetheless using disinformation campaigns and other cyber activity tactics to create instability abroad, and international rules on cyberwarfare and cyberattacks must be reevaluated to include these new forms of warfare. The current terminology is inadequate: “cyber activity” and “cyber operation,” which have been used to define such attacks, suggest Russia’s actions are not serious or harmful. Instead, a new term like “soft power cyberattacks” should be coined to reflect the changes in cyberwarfare and provide governments appropriate recourse.
Malicious Cyber Operations Conducted by Russia in Latvia
On the eve of Latvia’s parliamentary elections in fall 2018, Russia initiated malicious cyber operations on several Latvian government institutions. Latvia’s state security service, also known as the Constitution Protection Bureau, announced Latvia had been repeatedly targeted through cyber operations by the Russian Federation during and after the October 2018 elections. They revealed that Russia’s GRU military intelligence service conducted the attack. The attacks targeted government institutions, including the foreign and defense sectors, for the purpose of espionage. Especially frightening was their main target, the Central Election Commission, which was conducting the parliamentary election. Though the attack did not successfully alter the election results, the fact that Russia attempted such an illegal act created more dissidence and distrust between governments of Latvia and Russia.
While the Russian cyber operations in Latvia should be condemned and Russia shoul ..
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