How cyberattacks are being used by states against each other

New Delhi: In May 2019, Israel bombed and destroyed a building in Gaza, Palestine, as it was being used by a Hamas-backed hacking group to target them. This was the first instance when a state retaliated to a cyber attack with a real attack. In another more recent incident from June, the US targeted Russia’s electric power grids using crippling malware in retaliation to Moscow-sponsored cyberattacks on US infrastructure. Russia has said it will retaliate.

States around the world have been retaliating to new and persistent cyberattacks sponsored by their arch-rivals.

“State-sponsored cyberattack, by national intelligence agencies, or groups affiliated with such agencies, is a growing concern.