Ukraine hands out awards to vigilante hackers for cyber-attacks against Russia

A team of vigilante hackers known as One Fist has been recognised by Ukraine's military for their cyber-attacks against Russia. The group that has been involved in stealing data from Russian military firms and hacking cameras to spy on troops has reportedly been sent awards of gratitude for its efforts.

While many nations have official award systems for ethical hacking, this is believed to be the first time a country has awarded hackers for such actions.

Gratitude for hacking

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As per a BBC report, the certificates of gratitude were sent to the hackers from eight different countries, including the UK, the US, and Poland, for their "significant contribution to the development and maintenance of vital activities of the military".

One of the hackers, US man Kristopher Kortright, aka "Voltage," told BBC he was delighted at being officially recognised.

'Voltage' said he has devoted himself to hacking for Ukraine, even at the cost of losing his job and spending all his life's savings.

"I've lost my job doing this and spent all my life savings in pursuit of a victory for Ukraine," he said, adding, "This award is a real morale-booster."

Concerns around rewarding hacking

There are concerns about the practice of states encouraging civilian hackers, especially for malicious and possibly criminal hacks.

As per Dr Lukasz Olejnik, author of Philosophy of Cyber-security, such awards can be "dangerous".

"Giving out awards may further blur the lines between combatants and civilians, and even undermine the recent call by the ICRC to limit and end the involvement of civilians in combat operations. In the long run, such an erosion is dangerous," he said.

Emily Taylor, the chief executive of Oxford Information Labs and editor of Chatham House Cyber Policy journal believes that the hacking awards are a landmark moment that might shift thinking about how cyber volunteers are used in conflicts.

"Governments usually discourage non-state actors from taking direct action in the cyber domain, for fear of escalation or unintended consequences, but wartime is often a period of extraordinary technological innovation, and the Ukraine invasion is no exception."

"Sometimes these events force a reconsideration of issues that have previously been taboo," she remarked.

Previously, in October, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned against the use and encouragement of civilian hackers. Emphasising the need to uphold the rules of war, it even published guidelines to reinforce them.

(With inputs from agencies)