# Attack by Cutout **Domain:** Covert action / Harassment **Doc Type:** Developed Mechanism Node **Maturity:** Developed **Collection:** [[collections/Gamification|Gamification Collection]] ## Definition An **attack by cutout** is harm initiated through an intermediary that separates the directing actor from the person or system carrying out the visible act. The cutout may transmit instructions, recruit others, supply information, or trigger a process while obscuring the chain of origin. ## Significance The mechanism creates deniability and complicates attribution. In distributed harassment, one actor can expose a target to platforms, crowds, police, employers, or service providers without making direct contact. The executing party may be complicit, paid, deceived, or an unwitting proxy. A gap in attribution does not prove a hidden coordinator. Claims should distinguish observable initiator, intermediary, executor, beneficiary, communication evidence, and inferred links. The cutout concept is most useful when it decomposes a documented chain rather than filling an unknown one. ## Sources - CIA, [Glossary of intelligence terms](https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/static/Glossary-of-Intelligence-Terms.pdf) - FBI, [Swatting and coordinated targeting alert](https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber/alerts/2025/threat-actors-use-swatting-to-target-victims-nationwide) ## Routes [[wiki/Unwitting Proxy|Unwitting Proxy]] · [[wiki/Audience-of-One Attack|Audience-of-One Attack]] · [[wiki/Swatting|Swatting]] · [[wiki/Crowd-for-Hire|Crowd-for-Hire]]