Definitions[]
A nation state is
| “ | a political unit consisting of an autonomous state inhabited predominantly by a people sharing a common culture, history, and language. The modern nation state consists of one or more nationalities joined together in a formal political union. The nation state determines its official language(s), system of law, currency system, and a bureaucracy to carry out its government's orders. | ” |
| “ | [a] form of political organization in which a group of people who share the same history, traditions, or language live in a particular area under one government.[1] | ” |
Use of hackers[]
Within their home territories, many nations have some offensive cyber capabilities derived from such defensive technologies as forensics, network protections, and software implants (code added to system or application software for a purpose such as monitoring usage or collecting data about users) as well as from their regulatory control over, and ability to gain physical access to, local telecommunications and Internet systems.
Relatively few nation states, however, have the technical and operational capabilities (including resources, logistical support, expertise, and willingness to take risks) to orchestrate the full range of adversarial cyber operations through a combination of such means as recruiting insiders, setting up front companies, establishing signals collection systems, implanting damaging hardware or software in communications networks, and subverting telecommunications switches, cryptographic defenses, and supply chains.
References[]
Source[]
- Federal Plan for Cyber Security and Information Assurance Research and Development at 5. ("Use of hackers" section.)