Socio-Technical Influences of Cyber Espionage: A Case Study of the GhostNet System

Technoethical inquiry deals with a variety of social, legal, cultural, economic, political, and ethical implications of new technological applications which can threaten important aspects of contemporary life and society. GhostNet is a large-scale cyber espionage network which has infiltrated important political, economic, and media institutions including embassies, foreign ministries and other government offices in 103 countries and infected at least 1,295 computers. The following case study explores the influences of GhostNet on affected organizations by critically reviewing GhostNet documentation and relevant literature on cyber espionage. The research delves into the socio-technical aspects of cyber espionage through a case study of GhostNet. Drawing on Actor Network Theory ANT, the research examined key socio-technical relations of Ghostnet and their influence on affected organizations. Implications of these findings for the phenomenon of GhostNet are discussed in the hope of raising awareness about the importance of understanding the dynamics of socio-technical relations of cyber-espionage within organizations.

[1]  Ralph Stair,et al.  Principles of Information Systems: A Managerial Approach , 2011 .

[2]  Richard A. Spinello.  Regulating Cyberspace: The Policies and Technologies of Control , 2002 .

[3]  Brian Kahin,et al.  The Rise of Law on the Global Network , 1997 .

[4]  Christina M. Akrivopoulou,et al.  Human Rights and Risks in the Digital Era: Globalization and the Effects of Information Technologies , 2012 .

[5]  Timothy J. Shimeall,et al.  Intelligence Analysis for Internet Security , 2002 .

[6]  Christopher Malinowski.  Training the Cyber Investigator , 2006 .

[7]  B. Latour.  Technology is Society Made Durable , 1990 .

[8]  Rocci Luppicini.  Technoethical Inquiry: From Technological Systems to Society , 2009 .

[9]  Steven Furnell,et al.  Malware: An Evolving Threat , 2008 .

[10]  Naoum Mylonas,et al.  E-Government for Social Inclusion? , 2012 .

[11]  J. Law.  After Ant: Complexity, Naming and Topology , 1999 .

[12]  Rocci Luppicini,et al.  The Emerging Field of Technoethics , 2009 .

[13]  Panayiotis Zaphiris,et al.  Human computer interaction : concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications , 2009 .

[14]  Virpi Roto,et al.  On User Experience Measurement Needs: Case Nokia , 2009, Int. J. Technol. Hum. Interact..

[15]  M. Bunge.  Towards a Technoethics , 1975 .

[16]  Harris Cooper,et al.  Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis: A Step-by-Step Approach , 2009 .

[17]  Ross J. Anderson,et al.  The snooping dragon: social-malware surveillance of the Tibetan movement , 2009 .

[18]  Jamie S. Switzer,et al.  Impression Formation in Computer-Mediated Communication and Making a Good (Virtual) Impression , 2009 .

[19]  Roger Clarke,et al.  Internet privacy concerns confirm the case for intervention , 1999, CACM.

[20]  John W. Creswell,et al.  Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches , 2010 .

[21]  M. Callon.  The Sociology of an Actor-Network: The Case of the Electric Vehicle , 1986 .

[22]  Ramiro Montealegre,et al.  Trojan actor-networks and swift translation: Bringing actor-network theory to IT project escalation studies , 2004, Inf. Technol. People.

[23]  Claude Ghaoui,et al.  Encyclopedia of Human Computer Interaction , 2005 .

[24]  C. Wilson.  Botnets, Cybercrime, and Cyberterrorism: Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress , 2008 .

[25]  R. Mason.  Four ethical issues of the information age , 1986 .

[26]  John W. Creswell,et al.  Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches , 1966 .

[27]  Alysson Bolognesi Prado,et al.  Using OLAP Tools for e-HRM: A Case Study , 2010, Int. J. Technol. Hum. Interact..

[28]  Paul Cornish,et al.  Cyber Security and Politically, Socially and Religiously Motivated Cyber Attacks , 2009 .

[29]  Lester Leavitt,et al.  Institutional Memory and ICT: Ingredients for Direct Democracy and Global Solidarity , 2013, Int. J. Inf. Commun. Technol. Hum. Dev..

[30]  D. Wall.  Cyberspace Crime , 2002 .