As cyberattacks have grown increasingly destructive, nations are entertaining the idea of responding to them with conventional military forces.

It is difficult to determine how serious countries are when they threaten “kinetic” responses to digital attacks. Yet, the ambiguity over if or when cyberattacks should be answered with military force only increases the risk of things going terribly wrong.

What’s the problem?

In 2018, Air Marshal Phil Osborn, from the UK Ministry of Defence, suggested a strategic military approach when responding to severe cyberattacks: