Regulating the Role and Involvement of Offensive Proxy Actors in Cyberconflict

As offensive cyberoperations become increasingly prevalent in armed conflict, cyberspace has emerged as both an arena for geopolitical competition and battlefront.

In this rapidly evolving and expanding cyber threat landscape, the proliferation of non-state actors acting as proxies in conflict is raising the stakes. Offensive cyber proxy activity—left unregulated—carries significant security implications for nation states, businesses, and individuals, ranging from cyberattacks on critical infrastructures to economic espionage to data theft. Yet, few tools and legal responses exist to deter malicious activities by non-state actors in cyberspace, who are often able to obfuscate technical and legal attribution and escape accountability.

On Wednesday, March 27, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) New York Office brought together representatives of the United Nations, Permanent Missions of Member States, think tanks, and academia for an exclusive briefing and expert discussion based on findings from its latest report, Regulating the Role and Involvement of Offensive Proxy Actors in Cyberconflict.

Regulating the Role and Involvement of Offensive Proxy Actors in Cyberconflict aims to serve as an analytical tool for policymakers, multilateral institutions, legal experts, and civil society by providing a comprehensive overview of the scope of the cyber proxy phenomenon and the various technical, legal, and normative challenges it presents for the multilateral system. It concludes with a set of practicable recommendations—at both the multilateral and national levels—for increased normative cooperation grounded in international law, as well as collaboration in non-proliferation and cybercrime prevention.

The full report is now available for download.

About the Author

Eleonore Pauwels is an international expert in the security, societal, and governance implications generated by the convergence of artificial intelligence with other dual-use technologies, including cybersecurity. Pauwels provides expertise to the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Global Center on Cooperative Security in New York. She also works closely with governments and private sector actors on the changing nature of conflict, foresight, and global security, as well as responsible innovation related to AI, biotechnologies, and cybersecurity. She previously served as Research Fellow on Emerging Cybertechnologies for the United Nations University’s Centre for Policy Research and led the Anticipatory Intelligence Lab within the Science and Technology Innovation Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Pauwels regularly testifies before U.S. and European authorities, including the U.S. Department of State, NAS, NIH, NCI, FDA, the National Intelligence Council, the European Commission, and the UN.