Malicious Cyber Operations Committed by Stateand Non-State Actors: The International Legal Landscape

The recent exponential increase in malicious cyberoperations by both state and non-state actors is undermining national and international peace and security, and delicate geo-strategic balances1. This rise in threats in cyber space has become a critical global security issue, as highlighted in the “Concept Note for the Security Council of the United Nations”. Aim of this paper is to focus on cyberoperations during peacetime, and to serve as a preliminary foundation for the subsequent chapters of this book, which will explore both the normative frameworks and positions of non-Western countries in cyberspace, and the roles of international organizations in promoting common understandings, collaboration and international cooperation for the sake of an open, secure, stable, accessible and peaceful digital environment