US charges designed to make Russia hacking irrefutable

Subject

The US indictment of Russian intelligence officers.

Significance

The latest indictment to come out of the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is the most striking yet as it targets Russian state actors for the first time. It sets out charges of hacking into Democratic Party networks, stealing more than 50,000 documents and using them for disruptive purposes in the 2016 US presidential election. Despite the considerable level of detail in the evidence offered, the White House has yet to address publicly the issues raised or confronting Russia.

Impacts

• US government, election software providers, parties and social media platforms will face pressure to prepare for the midterm elections.
• Detailed attribution of cyber interference will likely weaken the notion that perpetrators enjoy a high level of plausible deniability.
• Hackers will continue to employ 'spearphishing' for its simplicity, success rate and cost-effectiveness.