KOK

WEI LEE (kokweil)

MS&E 293 ASIGNMENT 3

NOV 19 2014

With the widespread use of information technology across many government and civilian
platforms and the increasing connectedness of these systems, cyber security and weapons have
become a major security concern for the international community. The offensive and defensive
cyber technologies and operations are collectively known as cyber warfare. In general, cyber
warfare involves attacking a targets information system to destroy, disrupt or exploit it via its
vulnerabilities, while the target employs defensive techniques to foil attackers.1 This paper
explains the military, socio-economic and political ramifications of cyber warfare and discusses
the policy challenges for the international security landscape.
Modern militaries have developed powerful cyber warfare capabilities and are investing
more resources into this field. As most militaries transform into a 3G (third-gen) fighting force,
C4ISR (command, control, communications and computers, intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance) technologies are critical as a force multiplier as they integrate all military assets
into a coherent fighting force, giving all elements better battlefield sensing, accurate target
acquisition and faster decision making.6 Thus, such systems are often targets for cyber warfare as
one force can gain an upper hand if it can take down adversarial information systems. Cyber
warfare can be used tactically alongside conventional warfare to disrupt adversarial weapon
systems, logistic networks and command and control.1 It can also be used to target adversarial
weapon producing capabilities without the use of kinetic force, such as the USs Stuxnet attack
on Iranian nuclear centrifuges, where a complex operation was successfully executed to
physically sabotage Iranian uranium enrichment centrifuges by using a computer virus.3 The
potential of cyber warfare has thus prompted nations like U.S. and China to start dedicated
military units for cyber warfare like the U.S. Cyber Command and Chinas 2nd Bureau PLA
General Staff Departments 3rd Department (a.k.a. APT1).5 Not only are these units used
militarily, they are also deployed against adversarial political and socio-economical fronts.
The Chinese Militarys APT1 is believed to have stolen hundreds of terabytes of
information from English speaking nations related to product development, manufacturing
information, business plans and user credentials of high ranking employees.1 This is a form of
economic cyber espionage involving the theft of intellectual property and an example of how
militarized cyber warfare units can be used against civilian organizations. It is at this point where
the rules of engagement become fuzzy, as traditional doctrines do not account for cyber
attacks/disruptions against a nations non-military assets.2 The UN charter and the International

humanitarian law dictate that a nation can protect itself against force or armed attack, but
these two terms are undefined and may or may not include cyber warfare or economic damage.
As such, potential scenarios include cyber attacks against a states banking and financial
institutions, disrupting critical national infrastructure like gas pipelines, power grids,
transportation and communications, which can lead to internal chaos and a drastic, drop in public
confidence/security.1 Such attacks could lead to devastating socio-economical impacts on a state.
The 2007 cyber attacks on Estonia that brought down websites linked to government, banks and
media was one such attack, and the attackers have not been confirmed till now.7 In 2012, APT1
has been linked to stealing insider knowledge on operations of 23 U.S. natural gas companies,
giving it the potential to blow up a thousand gas pipeline stations, effectively destroying the gas
supply infrastructure.7
The increasing occurrences of cyber attacks have strained relationships between nations.
Cyber warfare has become a major aspect of foreign policy and geopolitics as states harness its
strategic capabilities, using it as a threat or deterrence, influencing other states behavior and
using it as a bargaining chip. Russia is known to use cyber warfare as a method of coercing
neighboring Baltic States to exert its influence and as a way to show its displeasure over
conflicts.7 Also, democratic elections can be compromised as voting systems can be hacked into
and results manipulated. This can lead to rogue leaders being elected and a domestic loss in
confidence in the voting system. While States sometimes claim credit for a cyber attack, most
attacks cannot be fully confirmed to originate from a specific state, especially when it remains
ambiguous over its actions.1 Herein lies the main policy challenge for every government: how to
respond to a cyber attack?
It is difficult to pinpoint if an attack was conducted by a group of independent hackers,
criminals, transnational terrorists or a state-sponsored agency or a state military. The enemy is
hidden without a distinct face or organization, making attribution and response extremely
challenging.3 To prevent conflict escalation, the US cannot point fingers quickly and launch a
conventional counterattack against cyber attacks or espionage, thus it can only rely on defensive
strategies for now.1 Hence there is much work to be done on policies and doctrines regarding
cyber warfare and the security landscape. At the same time, the US can lead the international
community in updating arcane international treaties and rules of engagement to take into account
the new aspect of cyber warfare.

KOK WEI LEE (kokweil)

MS&E 293 ASIGNMENT 3

NOV 19 2014

Endnotes
1. Lin, H. Cyber conflict & cyber security. MS&E 293. Stanford University, 10 Nov.
2014. Lecture.
2. Cashel, B, Jackson, W.D., Jickling, M, Webel, B. The economic impact of cyber
attacks, Congressional Research Service, (1 Apr 2004).
3. Owens, W.A., Dam, K. W. & Lin, H. Technology, Policy, Law, and Ethics Regarding
U.S. Acquisition and Use of Cyberattack Capabilities. Committee on Offensive
Information Warfare, National Research Council3 (2009).
4. Iasiello, E. Cyber Attack: A Dull Tool to Shape Foreign Policy. 5th International
Conference on Cyber Conflict (2013).
5. Lewis, J. A. Raising the Bar for Cybersecurity. Center for Strategic & International
Studies, Technology & Public Policy (2013).
6. Rath, T.J. Tools of Change: Tactical C4ISR and Conflicts - Past, Present, and Future.
AIR AND SPACE POWER JOURNAL MAXWELL (2011).
7. Joyner, C.C. & Lotrionte, C. Information Warfare as International Coercion:
Elements of a Legal Framework. Georgetown University Press, 2001.