The Alert
a space for informed discussion on cyber operations and policy.
The Alert was a blog focusing on offensive cyber, which closed at the end of 2022. Below, we maintain these blog contributions for the community. If you wish to submit similar ideas, we recommend contacting Binding Hook, a European platform run by our friends at the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative (ECCRI).
Latest Posts
Cyber-Warfare: Stop Asking About the Revolution
By Daniel Moore We have been expecting cyberwar for decades. Researchers and commentators alike have awaited a revolution in military affairs delivered by non-violent digital coercion. In their view, cyber-warfare was expected to shake the great balance of power, plunge countries into nation-wide outages, and turn our deepest dependencies against us in the fight between nations.…
Keep readingThe insurance industry and offensive cyber operations: Slow and steady wins the race?
By Daniel Woods The insurance industry is far from a “usual suspect” when it comes to offensive cyber operations. Insurers are neither belligerents, targets nor suppliers of offensive cyber capabilities. Yet they often find themselves footing the bill for the resulting damages. For example, the NotPetya attack—attributed to the Russian military—was estimated to have caused…
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We Buy and Sell: The Public Advertisement of Zero-Day Exploits
By Max Smeets Zero-day exploits expose a previously unknown vulnerability. They can be especially powerful for gaining access to computer systems or escalating privileges within the system. Zero-day exploit brokers often publicly advertise what they pay out to developers for their new vulnerability discoveries. You can find detailed price lists online that tell you exactly…
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Offensive Cyber Beyond the Usual Suspects
The world’s attention remains focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since the start of the conflict, cybersecurity experts and scholars have engaged in a heated debate over the perceived success and failure of cyber operations. Major crises such as this have also resurfaced questions around the role, form, tactics, and narratives that configure what offensive…
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Offensive Cyber Working Group 