Overview

The universe of actors involved in international cybersecurity includes both state actors and semi- and non-state actors, including technology companies, state-sponsored hackers, and cybercriminals. Among these are semi-state actors--actors in a close relationship with one state who sometimes advance this state's interests, but are not organizationally integrated into state functions. In Semi-State Actors in Cybersecurity, Florian J. Egloff argues that political relations in cyberspace fundamentally involve concurrent collaboration and competition between states and semi-state actors. To understand the complex interplay of cooperation and competition and the power relations that exist between these actors in international relations, Egloff looks to a historical analogy: that of mercantile companies, privateers, and pirates. Pirates, privateers, and mercantile companies were integral to maritime security between the 16th and 19th centuries. In fact, privateers and mercantile companies, like today's tech companies and private cyber contractors, had a particular relationship to the state in that they conducted state-sanctioned private attacks against foreign vessels. Pirates, like independent hackers, were sometimes useful allies, and other times enemies. These actors traded, explored, plundered, and controlled sea-lanes and territories across the world's oceans--with state navies lagging behind, often burdened by hierarchy. Today, as cyberspace is woven into the fabric of all aspects of society, the provision and undermining of security in digital spaces has become a new arena for digital pirates, privateers, and mercantile companies. In making the analogy to piracy and privateering, Egloff provides a new understanding of how attackers and defenders use their proximity to the state politically and offers lessons for understanding how actors exercise power in cyberspace. Drawing on historical archival sources, Egloff identifies the parallels between today's cyber in-security and the historical quest for gold and glory on the high seas. The book explains what the presence of semi-state actors means for national and international security, and how semi-state actors are historically and contemporarily linked to understandings of statehood, sovereignty, and the legitimacy of the state.

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9780197579282

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Reviews

It is well known that digital technologies are radically transforming the landscape of world politics, but theorists of international relations have struggled to catch up. In this wide-ranging and sophisticated study, Egloff digs deep into the newly emerging terrain of mercenary spyware companies, hackers-for-hire, and other 'semi-state' actors to examine the changing nature of sovereignty, state power, and cyber security. With thought-provoking historical analogies and carefully detailed case studies, Semi-State Actors in Cybersecurity is essential reading. * Ron Deibert, Director of the Citizen Lab, University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy * At last an analysis of cyberspace that moves beyond 20th century analogues. Egloff's thorough and insightful recovery of 16th, 17th, and 19th century piracy and privateering dynamics is a truly pioneering study in capturing what continually escapes most of the current thinking on cyberspace and the myriad of actors empowered by it. By reading cyberspace through these eras, Egloff not only gives agency to non-state actors, he brings greater sophistication to contemporary debates over information-sharing and public private partnerships in cybersecurity. It is a fresh and welcome addition to the scholarship in the field. * Nina A. Kollars, Associate Professor, Cyber and Innovation Policy Institute, Naval War College * Cybersecurity is full of swashbucklers and scallywags, but the piracy analogy has not been fully drawn on until now. In this important contribution to the international relations literature on cybersecurity, Florian Egloff compares the twenty-first century to the golden age of sail to explain why, when, and how governments partner with contractors, criminals, and vigilantes. With its rich bounty of empirical detail, this book will reward hackers, hornswogglers, and landlubbers alike. * Jon R. Lindsay, author of Information Technology and Military Power * Privateers at sea were once a common practice. Should private companies and groups today be allowed to 'hack-back' against cyber criminals and governments? Egloff's pathbreaking work makes good use of history and security studies to explore some of the most pressing problems we face in cybersecurity. * Joseph S. Nye, author of Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump *

Author Information

Florian J. Egloff is a Senior Researcher in Cybersecurity at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich. His research focuses on the role of non-and semi-state actors in cybersecurity, the politics of public attribution, and the use of cyber intrusions for political purposes.

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