My book - Offensive Cyber Operations - is now back in stock in both the UK and US!

If you're interested in a practical approach for how countries can employ cyber-attacks for national security needs, check it out! I cover both a broad perspective on what makes an Offensive Cyber Operation tick (and succeed) and how different countries apply them uniquely.

In particular, I have four chapters dedicated to the United States, Russia, China, and Iran - each with their own strengths and weaknesses in using cyber ops.

UK Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1787385612

US Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0197657559

"Refusing to confront tough, inevitable political choices is simply irresponsible. The line between utopia and dystopia can be disturbingly thin."

That's a quote from Cryptopolitik and the Darknet, the paper @ridt and I published in 2016, about Tor Hidden Services (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00396338.2016.1142085). The case of brilliant tech coopted for initially unforeseen, abusive potential.

It represents my biggest issue with OpenAI's ChatGPT: A naive, relatively unshackled, major increment in technology does not account for the ethics of its own potential.

ChatGPT is amazing and can do wonderful things. But the folks who make revolutionary tech and then release access with limited filters or oversight are making an active decision by doing so.

@g0rb This touches on the freedom fighter vs. terrorist discussion. If I had to make a personal case for the distinction, I'd say that hacktivists would target institutions of the state/sovereign while terrorists principally target civilians to achieve their aims.

Also hacktivism doesn't have to include "violent acts". It can be hack/leak, theft of information, etc.