Defining and Deterring Cyber War
Abstract
Since the advent of the Internet in the 1990s, not all users have acted in cyberspace for peaceful purposes. In fact, the threat and impact of attack in and through cyberspace has continuously grown to the extent that cyberspace has emerged as a setting for war on par with land, sea, air, and space, with increasing potential to damage the national security of states, as illustrated by attacks on Estonia and Georgia. Roughly a decade after the advent of the Internet, the international community still has no codified, sanctioned body of norms to govern state action in cyberspace. Such a body of norms, or regime, must be established to deter aggression in cyberspace. This project explores the potential for cyber attack to cause exceptionally grave damage to a state's national security, and examines cyber attack as an act of war. The paper examines efforts to apply existing international norms to cyberspace and also assesses how traditional concepts of deterrence apply in cyberspace. The project concludes that cyber attack, under certain conditions, must be treated as an act of war, that deterrence works to dissuade cyber aggression, and provides recommendations to protect American national interests.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 06, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA500795
Entities
People
- Scott W. Beidleman
Organizations
- United States Army War College