Inside the Enemy’s Computer: Identifying Cyber-Attackers, by Clement Guitton

Attribution of cyberattacks is an impending issue in enabling a credible deterrent against both state and non-state actors. It applies equally to cases of a criminal nature as well as to those with implications for national security. The technology underlying cyberspace facilitates anonymity and thus affixing responsibility, that is, attributability, is not merely a technological challenge but a political one as well, especially when nation states have proven prowess in engaging their adversaries in cyberspace. This is the central argument of the book Inside the Enemy’s Computer: Identifying Cyber-Attacks by Clement Guitton, one of the first exhaustive endeavours in this direction. In the six chapters, the author delves into the political dimension; discusses the mismatch between the domestic and international legal standards; the rising importance of companies in attribution; and, finally, elaborates upon the time factor, plausible deniability on part of the nation states, and a series of issues in attribution.