On 6 March 2019, Dr. Florian Egloff, one of our Research Associates, spoke at the Centre about the politics of publicly attributing cyber incidents. Florian started the presentation by identifying the increasing number of states publishing information regarding cyber operations discovered on networks within their jurisdiction. By discussing the potential costs of public attribution, e.g. the disclosure of methods and techniques in dealing with cyber incidents, he argued that public attribution presents a puzzle.
Florian moved on to analyse the strategic value of public attribution in light of, and also beyond, cyber incidents. He stressed the political nature of public attribution that is different from simply determining who is the attacker. His research project, thus, seeks to find possible explanations on what the respective strategic communities may have wanted to achieve when releasing sensitive details and information concerning cyber incidents. By juxtaposing the politics of public attribution of cyber incidents with similar strategies in other areas, Florian elucidated the various political processes that can be undertaken through this specific choice of strategy by states. Beyond international implications, Florian also encouraged the audience to think about the impact of public attribution on the domestic politics in various states.
Florian is a Senior Researcher in Cybersecurity with the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich (Switzerland). He previously received his DPhil in Cyber Security at the University of Oxford. Florian is also a Research Associate at the Centre for Technology and Global Affairs and teaches at the Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber Security (both at the University of Oxford).
