Cyber-Attack on Estonia: Not a Hoax

That Cyber-attack on Estonia? A new analysis finds no direct link to the Russian government. Wired says (link):

An analysis by Arbor Networks' Jose Nazario has concluded that the distributed denial of service attacks targeting Estonia websites beginning in late April were not the work of the Russian government.

"We see signs of Russian nationalism at work here, but no Russian government connection," Nazario told Heise Security. "None of the sources we have analyzed from around the world show a clear line from Moscow to Tallinn; instead, it's from everywhere around the world to Estonia."

The article also notes "there was no apparent attempt to target national critical infrastructure other than internet resources."

Boing Boing, who ought to know better, declares that this makes earlier stories of cyberwar a “hoax” (link).

‘Scuse me, no. Estonia was under attack, and it does represent an issue of international concern. The only news is that the attack was (apparently) not centrally coordinated. Sheesh, haven’t these guys heard of fourth-generation warfare? Guerillas attacks? Popular resistance? Haven’t these guys heard of Al Qaida?

Once again, restate the lesson Donald Rumsfeld never learned. Nation-states are not the only ones that make war. If Estonia can be brought to a standstill by uncoordinated, decentralized, grass-roots nationalism, the story is not less important., but more.