Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare

The Tallinn Manual (Cambridge UP, 2013) has no official standing but as an advisory manual it may be an important reference work for military attorneys grappling with cyber attacks. In Rules of cyberwar: don't target nuclear plants or hospitals, says Nato manual, Owen Bowcott, legal affairs correspondent for The Guardian writes:

The handbook, written by 20 legal experts working in conjunction with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the US Cyber Command, says full-scale wars could be triggered by online attacks on computer systems. It also states that so-called "hacktivists" who participate in online attacks during a war can be legitimate targets even though they are civilians.

From the Cambridge UP blurb:

Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare
ISBN:9781107613775

The Tallinn Manual identifies the international law applicable to cyber warfare and sets out ninety-five 'black-letter rules' governing such conflicts. It addresses topics including sovereignty, State responsibility, the jus ad bellum, international humanitarian law, and the law of neutrality. An extensive commentary accompanies each rule, which sets forth the rule's basis in treaty and customary law, explains how the group of experts interpreted applicable norms in the cyber context, and outlines any disagreements within the group as to each rule's application.

[JH]