International cyber attacks could represent war crimes, says academic
Uncertainties about cyber warfare's legality under the Laws of Armed Conflict could encourage a rise in cyber attacks that exacerbate tensions between nation states. For instance, it is not clear whether the principle of distinction, which holds that non-combatants should not be attacked, would extend to infecting civilian-owned computers. Additionally, it ambiguous whether the rule of proportionality, which demands that collateral damage is not disproportionate or unreasonable, would enable a certain quota of civilian-owned computers to become infected as part of a cyber attack on an enemy headquarters. 
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