Självförsvarsrätt i cyberkontext – Om staters självförsvarsrätt och anticipatoriska självförsvar enligt internationell rätt gentemot cyberoperationer
(2022) LAGF03 20221Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Världen över ställs stater inför ett växande cyberhot och antalet mellanstatliga cyberoperationer har ökat markant. Idag är inte enbart datorer och mobiltelefoner beroende av en uppkoppling utan även transaktioner, pacemakers, bilar, flygplan och otaliga tillbehör i vår vardag. Därutöver styrs en stor del av samhällets infrastruktur såsom sjukhus, banker och energisektorn av särskilda informationssystem. Stater ser sig alltmer sårbara då angrepp mot kritisk infrastruktur kan resultera i förödande konsekvenser. Därmed råder det ett stort behov att utreda under vilka förutsättningar stater får använda sig av rätten till självförsvar vid cyberoperationer för att effektivt försvara sig och om anticipatoriskt självförsvar kan åberopas.
... (More) - Världen över ställs stater inför ett växande cyberhot och antalet mellanstatliga cyberoperationer har ökat markant. Idag är inte enbart datorer och mobiltelefoner beroende av en uppkoppling utan även transaktioner, pacemakers, bilar, flygplan och otaliga tillbehör i vår vardag. Därutöver styrs en stor del av samhällets infrastruktur såsom sjukhus, banker och energisektorn av särskilda informationssystem. Stater ser sig alltmer sårbara då angrepp mot kritisk infrastruktur kan resultera i förödande konsekvenser. Därmed råder det ett stort behov att utreda under vilka förutsättningar stater får använda sig av rätten till självförsvar vid cyberoperationer för att effektivt försvara sig och om anticipatoriskt självförsvar kan åberopas.
Stater har enligt art. 51 FN-stadgan och internationell sedvanerätt en rätt till självförsvar gentemot ett väpnat angrepp. Denna självförsvarsrätt utgör ett undantag till våldsförbudet i art. 2(4) FN-stadgan. För att kategorisera ett agerande som ett väpnat angrepp ställs ett krav på angreppets storskalighet. Dess omfattning och effekter måste gå utöver den våldsanvändning som åsyftas i våldsförbudet för att aktualisera självförsvarsrätten.
Genom en rättsdogmatisk metod och ett internationellt perspektiv granskar uppsatsen staters rätt till självförsvar när de utsätts för cyberoperationer och även om självförsvarsrätten kan anses inkludera ett anticipatoriskt självförsvar. Internationella rättsregler avseende cyberoperationer saknas men befintlig internationell rätt är applicerbar på området.
Uppsatsen kommer fram till att höga krav ställs på staters rätt till självförsvar gentemot ett cyberangrepp. Ett legitimt självförsvar kräver att cyberoperationen anses utgöra ett väpnat angrepp. Ingen cyberoperation har i dagsläget uppnått tröskeln, då angreppens konsekvenser och angripna mål inte bedömts tillräckligt omfattande. Cyberangreppets goda chanser till anonymitet, ständiga utveckling och tekniska komplexitet försvårar utövandet av självförsvaret. Ytterligare svårigheter består i att hänföra cyberangreppet till en stat och bedöma försvarsåtgärdens förenlighet med nödvändighets-, proportionalitets- och omedelbarhetsprinciperna.
En rätt till anticipatoriskt självförsvar nämns inte explicit inom internationell rätt men har uppmärksammats allt mer i den folkrättsliga debatten. Dess existens är ifrågasatt men självförsvarsformen torde förlora sin praktiska betydelse vid ett överhängande hot om cyberangrepp. Detta på grund av nämnda svårigheter men även med hänsyn till cyberangreppets snabba utförande och svårigheter att överhuvudtaget detektera angreppet. (Less) - Abstract
- Around the world states are facing a growing cyber threat and the number of intergovernmental cyberoperations is significantly increased. Today, not only computers and mobile phones are dependent on a connection, even transactions, pacemakers, cars, airplanes and innumerable accessories in our daily lives depend upon it. Furthermore, a considerable part of society’s infrastructure, like hospitals, banks and the energy sector is operated by special information systems. States are progressively more vulnerable against attacks on critical infrastructure which can result in disastrous repercussions. For this reason there is a considerable necessity to investigate under what circumstances states can invoke the right to self-defence, in order to... (More)
- Around the world states are facing a growing cyber threat and the number of intergovernmental cyberoperations is significantly increased. Today, not only computers and mobile phones are dependent on a connection, even transactions, pacemakers, cars, airplanes and innumerable accessories in our daily lives depend upon it. Furthermore, a considerable part of society’s infrastructure, like hospitals, banks and the energy sector is operated by special information systems. States are progressively more vulnerable against attacks on critical infrastructure which can result in disastrous repercussions. For this reason there is a considerable necessity to investigate under what circumstances states can invoke the right to self-defence, in order to defend themselves effectively, in regard to cyber operations and if anticipatory self-defence can be applied.
According to art. 51 of the UN Charter and international customary law states have a right to self-defence against an armed attack. This right of self-defence represents an exception to the prohibition of violence in art. 2(4) of the UN Charter. For the purpose of classifying an action as an armed attack, a condition is set on the scale and effects of the attack. Its extent and consequences must surpass the use of force mentioned in the prohibition of violence so that the right to self-defence can be carried into effect.
By using a legal dogmatic method and an international perspective, the thesis investigates states' right to self-defence when subjected to cyber operations and also if the right to self-defence can be considered to include an anticipatory self-defence. International legal rules concerning cyber operations are deficient but actual international law is of use in the field.
The thesis reaches the conclusion that very high standards are set on states' right to self-defence concerning cyber attacks. A permitted self-defence demands that a cyber operation is considered to be an armed attack. No cyber operation as of yet has reached the threshold since the extension regarding consequences and targeted goals has not been met. Cyber attacks have a good possibility for anonymity, constant development and technical complexity which make it more difficult to use self-defence. In addition, more difficulties lie in tracing the cyber attack to a state and to assess the defence measure with the principles of necessity, proportionality and immediacy. A right to anticipatory self-defence is not explicitly mentioned in international law but it has been progressively recognized within the international law debate. Its existence is being questioned but the form of self-defence will probably lose its practical significance in the case of imminent cyber attacks. This is because of the mentioned difficulties above but also due to the rapid execution of the attack in addition to the complications in detecting it. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9081235
- author
- Bugsby de la Varga, Izabella LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- LAGF03 20221
- year
- 2022
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Folkrätt, international law, internationell rätt, självförsvar, anticipatoriskt självförsvar, våldsförbudet
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9081235
- date added to LUP
- 2022-06-28 09:22:09
- date last changed
- 2022-06-28 09:22:09
@misc{9081235,
abstract = {{Around the world states are facing a growing cyber threat and the number of intergovernmental cyberoperations is significantly increased. Today, not only computers and mobile phones are dependent on a connection, even transactions, pacemakers, cars, airplanes and innumerable accessories in our daily lives depend upon it. Furthermore, a considerable part of society’s infrastructure, like hospitals, banks and the energy sector is operated by special information systems. States are progressively more vulnerable against attacks on critical infrastructure which can result in disastrous repercussions. For this reason there is a considerable necessity to investigate under what circumstances states can invoke the right to self-defence, in order to defend themselves effectively, in regard to cyber operations and if anticipatory self-defence can be applied.
According to art. 51 of the UN Charter and international customary law states have a right to self-defence against an armed attack. This right of self-defence represents an exception to the prohibition of violence in art. 2(4) of the UN Charter. For the purpose of classifying an action as an armed attack, a condition is set on the scale and effects of the attack. Its extent and consequences must surpass the use of force mentioned in the prohibition of violence so that the right to self-defence can be carried into effect.
By using a legal dogmatic method and an international perspective, the thesis investigates states' right to self-defence when subjected to cyber operations and also if the right to self-defence can be considered to include an anticipatory self-defence. International legal rules concerning cyber operations are deficient but actual international law is of use in the field.
The thesis reaches the conclusion that very high standards are set on states' right to self-defence concerning cyber attacks. A permitted self-defence demands that a cyber operation is considered to be an armed attack. No cyber operation as of yet has reached the threshold since the extension regarding consequences and targeted goals has not been met. Cyber attacks have a good possibility for anonymity, constant development and technical complexity which make it more difficult to use self-defence. In addition, more difficulties lie in tracing the cyber attack to a state and to assess the defence measure with the principles of necessity, proportionality and immediacy. A right to anticipatory self-defence is not explicitly mentioned in international law but it has been progressively recognized within the international law debate. Its existence is being questioned but the form of self-defence will probably lose its practical significance in the case of imminent cyber attacks. This is because of the mentioned difficulties above but also due to the rapid execution of the attack in addition to the complications in detecting it.}},
author = {{Bugsby de la Varga, Izabella}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Självförsvarsrätt i cyberkontext – Om staters självförsvarsrätt och anticipatoriska självförsvar enligt internationell rätt gentemot cyberoperationer}},
year = {{2022}},
}