DailyPost 2556
AND NOW INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
Getting hacked in the new normal has become a truism of the digital world we live in and we are so proud of. It has brought innumerable conveniences, that the world is so radically different today from what it was a decade or even a few years. It is poised to transform further, with the infusion of Artificial Intelligence, in every aspect of our life. Nonetheless, with what the technology can deliver adversely as well, the world is moving on the razor’s edge, when caught unawares. The latest bastion to fall has been the International Criminal Court which was recently hit by cyber-attack amid the Russian war crimes probe.
That the highest criminal court in the world could be a victim of a crime, would have been totally unimaginable till only a few years back. Cyber-attack has multifarious impact which brings the victim to its knees and forces the institution / organization to react and respond, wasting its precious time out of the mainstream work, which it is supposed to do. The fear psychosis that looms large is not conducive to normal work happening. One doesn’t even know what data is lost and hence the nature of damage cannot be calculated. Whether the cyber-attack has ended or not also remains a matter of conjecture is most of the cases. International Criminal Court stated that its IT systems were breached last week, and that the “cybersecurity incident” is still ongoing as on 20th Sept 2023.
Presuming all right actions would have been taken from the investigation, containment and recurrence point of view, what is intriguing is that spokesperson declined to answer questions on nature of intrusion, who was behind the attack, how they broke in, if any data was stolen and most importantly if the if the breach has been fully contained or not. There is no standard mechanism of cyber security audit and remediation. It is done at the whims and fancy of organizations at the lowest cost possible. Security has always been a cost which in normal times does not make any business sense; the ROI game.
It does not appear to be a ransomware attack. No criminal gang has as yet claimed the credit for it. ICC is currently probing into suspected war crimes by Russia during its invasion on Ukraine. Interestingly, in March, ICC judges issued arrest warrants Russian President Vladimir Putin and Commissioner for Child Rights. Russia’s demonstrated capability at hacks is all too well known. The US Presidential Election 2016 is still fresh in world’s memory. Mostly, these two warrants along with of host of others make ICC a “prime target for cyber-attacks.” All major incidents in the world have a cyber security element, that makes this tool potent and devastating. The ICC incident comes close on the heels of ransomware attacks in recent weeks on Greater Manchester Police, International Joint Commission and Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts.
A GLOBAL CONCERTED ATTACK ON CYBER CRIME IS MISSING, HONING UP SKILLS COMMENSURATE TO THE THREAT CAN BE THE FIRST STEP.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.