ABOUT THE SEMINAR

In October 2023, the International Committee of the Red Cross (‘ICRC’) introduced a set of eight rules for civilian hackers operating in armed conflicts and four corresponding obligations on states to regulate their activities. This initiative stemmed from rising concerns over the increasing involvement of civilian actors in cyber operations, particularly in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

Throughout 2024, growing evidence has highlighted the complex interplay between state and non-state actors, with civilian hacker groups actively targeting critical infrastructure and leveraging shared intelligence and digital platforms to execute cyberattacks. These developments raise urgent questions regarding compliance with the ICRC’s rules, their effectiveness in mitigating risks, and the broader legal and policy implications. 

This webinar will examine the extent to which these rules have been observed and their impact on cyber operations in armed conflicts. Key discussion points include: 

• The legal status of civilian hacker groups engaged in cyber warfare. 
• The evolving role of international law in regulating states' responsibilities toward such actors. 
• The obligations of states where technology and social media companies are based, considering their platforms' use by civilian hackers. 
• The duties and potential liabilities of technology and social media companies whose infrastructure facilitates cyber operations. 

Join us for an insightful discussion with experts in international law, cybersecurity, and policy to explore the future of civilian involvement in cyber conflicts and the legal frameworks governing their actions.

MODERATOR

Danielle Yeow Adjunct Senior Research Fellow and Lead, Cybersecurity Law and Governance, NUS Centre for International Law

PANELLISTS

Dr. Tilman Rodenhäuser Legal Adviser, International Committee of the Red Cross

Dr. Tilman Rodenhäuser is a legal adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross’ headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. He provides legal and policy advice on the application of IHL to cyber and other digital operations, on legal obligations of non-State armed groups. For several years, Dr. Tilman has led the ICRC’s multilateral engagement in the UN and other ICT-related processes.

Dt. Tilman holds a PhD in ‘International Law’ from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. He is the author of the monograph ‘Organizing Rebellion: Non-state armed groups under international humanitarian law, human rights law, and international criminal law’ (OUP, 2018). He has also published various articles in renowned international journals and received several awards for his publications.

Dr. Giacomo Biggio Lecturer in Law, University of Bristol

Dr. Giacomo Biggio is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Bristol School of Law, where he teaches International Law and Armed Conflict, International Human Rights Law and Public International Law. Dr. Biggio has a PhD from the University of Sheffield, where he defended his thesis that discussed how the use of cyber operations in times of armed conflict influences the relationship between the principles of military necessity and humanity under International Humanitarian Law (‘IHL’).

Since 2021, his articles have been published in established academic journals in the field, such as the Military Law and the Law of War Review, International Law Studies, the Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, and the Journal on International Peace and Armed Conflict. He has examined issues related to the qualification of cyber operations as ‘attacks’ under IHL, the regulation of cyber weapons, the legal status and the targeting of pro-Ukraine hacker groups during the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict, and the application of Common Article 1 to the Geneva Conventions in cyberspace. His upcoming contribution, to be published in the Journal of Conflict and Security Law, examines the application of the IHL principles of distinction and proportionality to cyber operations causing non-kinetic effects.

Gaurav Keerthi Adjunct Senior Fellow, Centre of Excellence for National Security, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University

Mr. Gaurav Keerthi is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS), since August 2023. Mr. Keerthi completed his undergraduate studies at Stanford University and holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he graduated as a distinguished Littauer Fellow. Mr. Keerthi has over 25 years of working experience dealing with national security and policy issues. In the military, he served as a pilot and his last position was as the Commander for Air Defence and Operations command, while concurrently serving as the CiO of the RSAF. After the RSAF, he went on to become the Deputy Chief Executive of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, while concurrently acting as the Deputy Commissioner for Cybersecurity. In that role, he led the development of national strategies, doctrines, and led key capability developments for securing national infrastructure, including overseeing the digital security efforts for the COVID-19 tools. He also represented Singapore at the United Nations Open Ended Working Group on cybersecurity. He is currently an Executive Vice President at Ensign InfoSecurity, Asia’s largest pure-play cybersecurity company. His research interests include Cybersecurity and Risks of Emerging Technology.

Dr. Samuel White Senior Research Fellow, Peace and Security, NUS Centre for International Law

Dr. Samuel White is the Senior Research Fellow in Peace and Security at the Centre for International Law. Prior to this, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Adelaide Law School. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, and an editor for both the United States Military Academy’s Articles of War and the Adelaide Law Review. 

Dr. White holds several prestigious academic titles, including Visiting Fellow at the Australian Defence Force Academy (2023-2025) and the Army Visiting Fellow at the Australian War Memorial (2024-2027). In 2024, he was made an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and in 2025, he was appointed a Fellow of the National Library of Australia for his research on Australian legal history. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at both the University of New England and the University of Adelaide.  

Dr. White has extensive military experience, serving as a Royal Australian Infantry Corps and Australian Army Legal Corps officer in various operational roles, including as Staff Officer in the Directorate of Operations and International Law and as a Reserve Legal Officer within Special Operations Command.  His research focuses on cross-cultural understandings of warfare, international law, and constitutional limitations in responding to foreign interference. Dr. White holds a PhD from the University of Adelaide, along with multiple law and military degrees. His publications include the monograph Keeping the Peace of the Realm (2021), and he is the editor of The Laws of Yesterday’s Wars (Brill Nijhoff).  Dr. White is admitted to practice in Australia and New Zealand and has also served as Associate to the Honourable Justice John Logan in the Federal Court of Australia.