What do a Computer and Weapons have in Common? Comparative analyses of Cyberattacks and non-lethal weapons

The article is devoted to the problems of determining the legal norms that apply to cyberattacks. The main question explored in the article is whether cyberattacks are a type of non-lethal weapons, since, depending on the answer to this question, the rules governing the use of non-lethal weapons (or weapons in general) may or may not be applied to cyberattacks. The study was carried out using the formal legal method, the method of comparative analysis, synthesis, deductive and inductive methods, interviewing. In recent years, the international community has paid close attention to the problem of cyberattacks. This happens due to the increasing incidence of such attacks and their practical uncontrollability. Despite this, there are very few studies that are devoted to the consideration of cyberattacks as non-lethal weapons or weapons; in Russian legal doctrine they are practically absent. This article provides a detailed comparison of cyberattacks and non-lethal weapons according to six specific criteria, which helps to identify common features between these two phenomena, as well as to find the fundamental differences between them. The article concludes that cyberattacks are not a type of non-lethal weapons and the use of these phenomena should be regulated by different norms and principles.