DefenseNews.com_Expert: ‘Not Clear’ Whether Russia Responsible for Estonia Cyber Attacks (August 6)

06.08.2007

 There is not enough evidence to prove that Moscow planned or carried out an Internet attack on Estonia that left the former Soviet state reeling for nearly three weeks, one prominent U.S. cybersecurity expert said.

“It is not clear” that Russia was behind the weeks-long barrage of Internet-based attacks on government and private Internet sites in Estonia that started April 27 and stretched into May, said Seymour Goodman, a professor of international affairs and computing at Georgia Institute of Technology.

The wave of attacks targeted a range of Estonian Web sites, from newspapers to schools and even the Ministry of Defense.

Many in Estonia and Europe said the attacks seemed rooted in Russia, a claim Moscow vigorously denied.

The cyber strikes flared up after Estonian officials moved a Soviet-era statue to what many considered a less prominent site, a decision that sparked an angry reaction from Estonia’s Russian minority.

Goodman implied the attack could have originated from within Estonia’s borders and population, saying “there are a lot of capable” people living there.

His comments came during an Aug. 8 luncheon on cybersecurity issues sponsored by the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank.

The Georgia Tech professor predicted conflicts in cyberspace likely will plague nations big and small for many years to come.

“This will go on forever,” he said.

To combat this new kind of warfare, which can be waged by nations of all sizes, extremist groups or individuals, Goodman said the U.S. should beef up its research and develop efforts to guard against cyber attacks.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2950950&C=america