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When States Pretend to be Terrorists or Hacktivists in Cyberspace

Posted: April 18th, 2017

By Tim Maurer

Tim Maurer co-directs the Cyber Policy Initiative at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Previously, Maurer was the director of the Global Cybersecurity Norms and Resilience Project at New America and head of research of New America's Cybersecurity Initiative. His work focuses on cyberspace and international affairs, namely cybersecurity, human rights online, and Internet governance.

False flag operations have been routine ploys in espionage and warfare for centuries. Now they have turned up in cyber operations. The Cipher Brief spoke with Tim Maurer, co-director of the Cyber Policy Initiative at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about the history of these subterfuges and how governments conduct them in cyberspace.

The Cipher Brief: What is a false flag attack?  

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