Semi-State Actors in Cybersecurity


Book Description

Using a historical analogy as a research strategy: histories of the sea and cyberspace, comparison, and locating the analogy in time -- History of the loosely governed sea between the 16th-19th century: from the age of privateering to its abolition -- Brief history of cyberspace: origins and development of (in-)security in cyberspace -- The sea and cyberspace: comparison and analytical lines of inquiry applying the analogy to cybersecurity -- Cyber pirates and privateers: state proxies, criminals, and independent patriotic hackers -- Cyber mercantile companies conflict and cooperation.




Offensive Cyber Operations


Book Description

Cyber-warfare is often discussed, but rarely truly seen. When does an intrusion turn into an attack, and what does that entail? How do nations fold offensive cyber operations into their strategies? Operations against networks mostly occur to collect intelligence, in peacetime. Understanding the lifecycle and complexity of targeting adversary networks is key to doing so effectively in conflict. Rather than discussing the spectre of cyber war, Daniel Moore seeks to observe the spectrum of cyber operations. By piecing together operational case studies, military strategy and technical analysis, he shows that modern cyber operations are neither altogether unique, nor entirely novel. Offensive cyber operations are the latest incarnation of intangible warfare–conflict waged through non-physical means, such as the information space or the electromagnetic spectrum. Not all offensive operations are created equal. Some are slow-paced, clandestine infiltrations requiring discipline and patience for a big payoff; others are short-lived attacks meant to create temporary tactical disruptions. This book first seeks to understand the possibilities, before turning to look at some of the most prolific actors: the United States, Russia, China and Iran. Each has their own unique take, advantages and challenges when attacking networks for effect.




Understanding Cyber Conflict


Book Description

Cyber weapons and the possibility of cyber conflict—including interference in foreign political campaigns, industrial sabotage, attacks on infrastructure, and combined military campaigns—require policymakers, scholars, and citizens to rethink twenty-first-century warfare. Yet because cyber capabilities are so new and continually developing, there is little agreement about how they will be deployed, how effective they can be, and how they can be managed. Written by leading scholars, the fourteen case studies in this volume will help policymakers, scholars, and students make sense of contemporary cyber conflict through historical analogies to past military-technological problems. The chapters are divided into three groups. The first—What Are Cyber Weapons Like?—examines the characteristics of cyber capabilities and how their use for intelligence gathering, signaling, and precision striking compares with earlier technologies for such missions. The second section—What Might Cyber Wars Be Like?—explores how lessons from several wars since the early nineteenth century, including the World Wars, could apply—or not—to cyber conflict in the twenty-first century. The final section—What Is Preventing and/or Managing Cyber Conflict Like?—offers lessons from past cases of managing threatening actors and technologies.




Contemporary Security Studies


Book Description

Contemporary Security Studies is a uniquely engaging introduction to Security Studies, covering the key theories and contemporary issues in the field.




Cybersecurity


Book Description

In the last decade, the proliferation of billions of new Internet-enabled devices and users has significantly expanded concerns about cybersecurity. How much should we worry about cyber threats and their impact on our lives, society and international affairs? Are these security concerns real, exaggerated or just poorly understood? In this fully revised and updated second edition of their popular text, Damien Van Puyvelde and Aaron F. Brantly provide a cutting-edge introduction to the key concepts, controversies and policy debates in cybersecurity today. Exploring the interactions of individuals, groups and states in cyberspace, and the integrated security risks to which these give rise, they examine cyberspace as a complex socio-technical-economic domain that fosters both great potential and peril. Across its ten chapters, the book explores the complexities and challenges of cybersecurity using new case studies – such as NotPetya and Colonial Pipeline – to highlight the evolution of attacks that can exploit and damage individual systems and critical infrastructures. This edition also includes “reader’s guides” and active-learning exercises, in addition to questions for group discussion. Cybersecurity is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the challenges and opportunities presented by the continued expansion of cyberspace.




Cyber Mercenaries


Book Description

Cyber Mercenaries explores the secretive relationships between states and hackers. As cyberspace has emerged as the new frontier for geopolitics, states have become entrepreneurial in their sponsorship, deployment, and exploitation of hackers as proxies to project power. Such modern-day mercenaries and privateers can impose significant harm undermining global security, stability, and human rights. These state-hacker relationships therefore raise important questions about the control, authority, and use of offensive cyber capabilities. While different countries pursue different models for their proxy relationships, they face the common challenge of balancing the benefits of these relationships with their costs and the potential risks of escalation. This book examines case studies in the United States, Iran, Syria, Russia, and China for the purpose of establishing a framework to better understand and manage the impact and risks of cyber proxies on global politics.




Cyber-Security and Threat Politics


Book Description

This book explores the political process behind the construction of cyber-threats as one of the quintessential security threats of modern times in the US. Myriam Dunn Cavelty posits that cyber-threats are definable by their unsubstantiated nature. Despite this, they have been propelled to the forefront of the political agenda. Using an innovative theoretical approach, this book examines how, under what conditions, by whom, for what reasons, and with what impact cyber-threats have been moved on to the political agenda. In particular, it analyses how governments have used threat frames, specific interpretive schemata about what counts as a threat or risk and how to respond to this threat. By approaching this subject from a security studies angle, this book closes a gap between practical and theoretical academic approaches. It also contributes to the more general debate about changing practices of national security and their implications for the international community.




Assessing Cyber Security


Book Description

Over the years, a plethora of reports has emerged that assess the causes, dynamics, and effects of cyber threats. This proliferation of reports is an important sign of the increasing prominence of cyber attacks for organizations, both public and private, and citizens all over the world. In addition, cyber attacks are drawing more and more attention in the media. Such efforts can help to better awareness and understanding of cyber threats and pave the way to improved prevention, mitigation, and resilience. This report aims to help in this task by assessing what we know about cyber security threats based on a review of 70 studies published by public authorities, companies, and research organizations from about 15 countries over the last few years. It answers the following questions: what do we know about the number, origin, and impact of cyber attacks? What are the current and emerging cyber security trends? And how well are we prepared to face these threats?




Cyber Security Policies and Strategies of the World's Leading States


Book Description

Cyber-attacks significantly impact all sectors of the economy, reduce public confidence in e-services, and threaten the development of the economy using information and communication technologies. The security of information systems and electronic services is crucial to each citizen's social and economic well-being, health, and life. As cyber threats continue to grow, developing, introducing, and improving defense mechanisms becomes an important issue. Cyber Security Policies and Strategies of the World's Leading States is a comprehensive book that analyzes the impact of cyberwarfare on world politics, political conflicts, and the identification of new types of threats. It establishes a definition of civil cyberwarfare and explores its impact on political processes. This book is essential for government officials, academics, researchers, non-government organization (NGO) representatives, mass-media representatives, business sector representatives, and students interested in cyber warfare, cyber security, information security, defense and security, and world political issues. With its comprehensive coverage of cyber security policies and strategies of the world's leading states, it is a valuable resource for those seeking to understand the evolving landscape of cyber security and its impact on global politics. It provides methods to identify, prevent, reduce, and eliminate existing threats through a comprehensive understanding of cyber security policies and strategies used by leading countries worldwide.




Cyberspace and International Relations


Book Description

Cyberspace is everywhere in today’s world and has significant implications not only for global economic activity, but also for international politics and transnational social relations. This compilation addresses for the first time the “cyberization” of international relations - the growing dependence of actors in IR on the infrastructure and instruments of the internet, and the penetration of cyberspace into all fields of their activities. The volume approaches this topical issue in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary fashion, bringing together scholars from disciplines such as IR, security studies, ICT studies and philosophy as well as experts from everyday cyber-practice. In the first part, concepts and theories are presented to shed light on the relationship between cyberspace and international relations, discussing implications for the discipline and presenting fresh and innovative theoretical approaches. Contributions in the second part focus on specific empirical fields of activity (security, economy, diplomacy, cultural activity, transnational communication, critical infrastructure, cyber espionage, social media, and more) and address emerging challenges and prospects for international politics and relations.