What is a false flag? How state-based hackers cover their tracks

What is a false flag? How state-based hackers cover their tracks

False flag definition


A false flag cyberattack is when a hacker or hacking group stages an attack in a way that attempts to fool their victims and the world about who's responsible or what their aims are. The techniques used in this type of attack run a gamut that ranges from simply issuing false claims of responsibility to emulating the tools, techniques, and even languages typically used by the group or country the attackers are trying to frame.

The term false flag originated during World War I, when British and German auxiliary ships would fly the ensigns of other countries—sometimes the British would fly German flags, or vice versa—in order to deceive their enemies. The term came to be applied to more elaborate acts of deception meant to cast political blame on opponents and allow aggressors to claim to be victims; the Japanese started its war with China in the '30s after staging a fake Chinese attack on Japanese forces, for instance, a technique that the Germans repeated when they launched their invasion of Poland and the Soviets used before beginning a war against Finland. From there, the term entered the discourse of conspiracy theorists, who often believe terrorist attacks or mass shootings to be staged or perpetrated by the government in order to stoke fear or gain dictatorial powers.

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