Grey Zones in the International Law of Cyberspace

Introduction In 2015 and 2016, hackers affiliated with the Russian government broke into servers of the U.S. Democratic National Committee (DNC). The subsequent release of documents hurt Democrats in Congressional races, led to the resignation of the DNC Chairperson, created tension between the Clinton and Sanders camps, and, above all, figured prominently in the race for president. The Russian operations were yet another example of Russia’s proficiency at exploiting the “grey zones” of international law, which it had honed during operations that led to the belligerent occupation of the Crimean Peninsula and its support for insurgent forces in eastern Ukraine.[...]