The Daily NK notes North Korea’s unusual silence following accusations of the July 4th cyberattacks:

Generally, whenever the South Korean government so much as mentions the word “North,” North Korea instantly produces a volley of aggressive claims about the possibility of military catastrophe. Pyongyang’s silence in the face of the NIS designation is somewhat unprecedented.

While certainly not ‘unprecedented,’ there is something to the notion that in such a case, the alleged attacker has more to gain from staying mum than claiming credit, and certainly more than outright denial (the North’s typical PR approach.)

The strategic ambiguity’s value in the cyber realm far transcends any North/South finger-pointing.  If almost any scenario where this kind of attack can form part of a deterrence posture, silence truly is golden:

• Absent a diplomatic imperative to deny, where it would defuse a real threat of war or alliance loss;
• And provided that the attack’s success generally exceeds previous expectations of that state’s capabilities;
• A state will seek to encourage or accept accusations of guilt for a successful attack, to ‘bluff’ its way into enhanced perceptions of its military deterrent.

Therefore, whether they did it or not, the North—and indeed any state short on friends and long on fear—has more to gain by saying nothing than engaging in its typical litany of denials.  If recent threat-hyping on both sides of the Pacific are any indication, they’ve exploited that echo chamber perfectly.