If malware outbreak was state sponsored it could count as violation of sovereignty and open possibility of countermeasures, says Tomáš MinárikThe NotPetya malware that wiped computers at organisations including Maersk, Merck and the Ukrainian government in June “could count as a violation of sovereignty”, according to a legal researcher at Nato’s cybersecurity division. If the malware outbreak was state-sponsored, the Nato researcher says, it could open the possiblity of “countermeasures”. Those could come through retaliatory cyber--attacks, or more conventional means such as sanctions, but they must fall short of a military use of force. While a cyber-attack can trigger an armed response from Nato, Minárik cautioned that the damage caused by NotPetya was not sufficient for such an escalation. However, Minárik, added, “as important government systems have been targeted, then in case the operation is attributed to a state this could count as a violation of sovereignty.

Source: The Guardian July 03, 2017 12:33 UTC