A recent article published in Science magazine says that the best response to some cyberattacks may be to ignore them. The article points to new research conducted by Robert Axelrod and colleagues, which uses game theory to explore how we should carry out and defend against cyberattacks.
The new research takes a broad approach--one that takes uncertainty and political climate into account--by factoring in political strengths and weaknesses and how much attackers and victims know about each other.
"In cases where the attacker’s domestic and international political standing wouldn’t take much of a hit from being blamed, it makes sense for the victim to refrain from making a public accusation even in the face of criticism for inaction," writes the author, pointing to the new study by Axelrod and colleagues, which appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.