Towards a Taxonomy of Cyber Defence in International Law

The increasing number of cyberattacks and their financial ramifications require legal certainty for cybersecurity experts and researchers that are faced with the task of defending against them. The variable use of language as well as the ongoing debate concerning the legality of certain measures of cyber defence further complicate this already critical problem. It is for these reasons that the following article attempts to establish clarity of terminology regarding cyber defence measures, specifically by disassociating hack backs from active cyber defence, before juxtaposing a proposal for a taxonomy of cyber defence measures with the international law on cyber activities and further unresolved questions in the legal debate.