With this ten part series I wanted to get some ideas down and hopefully start some discussion. Over the last few weeks each segment has looked at cyber warfare from a different viewpoint. I’ve been told that my blog posts…
Category: Cyber Conflict
State on State conflict using a variety of assets within and outside of cyberspace to create specific effects as a form of projection of power.
How to wage cyber warfare: Why we do not take cyber seriously, Part 9
There are a lot of arguments over why cyber warfare and cyber terrorism get so little attention. The attention it gets arrives in waves and departs. There is almost a decade swing between being ignored and being the hottest new…
How to wage cyber warfare: The super empowered individual, Part 8
The nation state as an entity is a conglomeration of power and social structure having a history stretching back to the Westphalian peace and treaty. This concept of nations rises out of western tradition that had recognized empires previously but…
Assessing the information onslaught of protests and terrorist attacks via social media
When the terrorist attacks occurred in Mumbai local media was able to report extensively as it occurred. Social media pundits were able to analyze and evaluate the different channels of communication. Social media tools like Twitter with near real time…
How to wage cyber warfare: The relationship between cyber and kinetics, Part 7
There is a certain amount of misunderstanding about the Internet and the global communications grid. On the one hand we have a mythos that has risen stating that the Internet was created to allow communication in the advent of nuclear…
How to wage cyber warfare: Operationalizing the network, Part 6
So, first thing is what do we mean by operationalize? This is a big word for the principle of taking over the adversaries systems. As a key factor to conflict the desired state is to control the ability of the…
How to wage cyber warfare: Reconnaissance and surveillance, Part 5
Reconnaissance is often considered synonymous with footprinting of systems. The idea is to get as much knowledge about the target network as possible. One way of doing that is simple observation. One lesson we can take from the military at…
How to wage cyber warfare: The technology and structure, Part 4
There are some basic components that are needed by any military so that they can succeed. The military force is required to have the appropriate technology to create an advantage and the training to overcome any adversaries corresponding advantage. The…
How to wage cyber warfare: Puzzle pieces, Part 3
Cyber warfare claimed by many is done by none. Most of the stuff identified as cyber warfare and security we see is actually defensive in nature. If we actually secured our computing systems a lot of the risks of damage…
How to wage cyber warfare: Barriers to entry, Part 2
There are large numbers of people who are all for the new thing called cyber warfare. Whether you are interested in waging cyber warfare for a nation state or are considering a corporate company on company engagement the realities are…
How to wage cyber warfare: A primer, Part 1
Cyber warfare is fought on a cyber space terrain. The terrain is made up of the communication components of the global spanning information grid. Consider all of the interconnected equipment, components, people, processes, procedures, and other elements that allow for…
Yet another cyber treatise
With the impending release of the 60 day cyber review and myriad conferences to cover cyber security I wish to put a stick in the ground and make a pronouncement about cyber security, information assurance and security and anybody who…
Battlestar Galactica: A fictional view of cyber warfare and technological conflict
As the television show Battlestar Galactica completes its final season I thought it might be interesting to look back on the opening of the show to those first few episodes. I have discussed in the past how science fiction can…
Into the darkness of cyber warfare
I have been reading extensively about whether cyber warfare exists, whether it is a defensive only engagement, and if it does exist does it actually involve combat. These questions are born upon the back of the military establishment well entrenched…
Thoughts on the Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review report (January 2009)
The Quadrennial roles and mission review report is from the Department of Defense (DOD) to congress and highlights key aspects of the core mission areas and competencies of the military. The documents as written also includes a section on roles and…