False Attribution as a political tool
Jul 1, 2021
‘It’s Easier to Fool People Than to Convince Them That They Have Been Fooled’ — Often miss-attributed to Mark Twain
A thought experiment for today. If you are a global superpower who has had its technological infrastructure damaged by a rogue cyber-criminal, is it less embarrassing to blame state backed actors? The general public is much more willing to believe that a group of trained spies have penetrated systems, rather than a group of criminals.
To take it a step further, what if attributing the attack to state actors plays into the victim countries hands? Why not blame state actors in a country you are in conflict with for any issues?
Is false attribution of attacks an ethical tool?
