1.1 Cyber-attacks and geopolitics
🎯How can cyber-attacks impact national economies and political relations?
Dozens of cases of cyberattacks have had serious consequences for global and regional economies, well-being, and political relations. These include distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and hacks that paralyse critical national infrastructures, cases of political and economic espionage, ransomware operations, stealing massive amounts of personal data, surveillance operations, as well as regional provocations, cyberattacks conducted to support warfare, and conventional strikes in response to cyberattacks.
Figure 1 maps key examples of such major events from the past 20 years. This is not a comprehensive review but serves as an illustration of some important examples, types of attacks, and possible effects.
Interactive visual: Interactive map of some major cyberattacks with political backgrounds and consequences (Source: DiploFoundation)
Reflection point
Are there relevant examples from your region? What were the targets? What were the political and economic consequences?Â