What about deterrence in an era of cyberwar?

From: Yona Maro

Deterrence really is about the ability to alter an adversary’s actions by changing its cost-benefit calculations. It reflects subjective, psychological assessments, a “state of mind,” as the US Department of Defense says, “brought about by the existence of a credible threat of unacceptable counteraction.” In addition to massive retaliation, the adversary’s decisions can also be affected by defenses, in what has been called “deterrence by denial.” If you can’t get what you want by attacking, then you won’t attack in the first place.

The effect of this on real-world politics is driven by the fact that the question of “who” in cyberspace is far more difficult than ever could have been imagined by the original thinkers on deterrence theory back in the 1950s. Tanks and missile launches are hard to disguise, while networks of compromised machines or tools like Tor make anonymity easy. The threat of counterstrike requires knowing who launched the initial attack, a difficult thing to prove in cyberspace, especially in a fast-moving crisis. Computer code does not have a return address, and sophisticated attackers have grown adept at hiding their tracks. So painstaking forensic research is required, and, as we saw, it’s rarely definitive.

Moreover, for the purposes of deterrence, it’s not enough to trace an attack back to a computer or find out who was operating a specific computer. Strategically, we must know what political actor was responsible, in order to change their calculations.
Link:
http://afj.wpengine.com/what-about-deterrence-in-an-era-of-cyberwar/


Find Jobs in Africa Jobs in Africa
International Job Opportunities International Job Opportunities
Jobs in Kenya Jobs in Kenya

One thought on “What about deterrence in an era of cyberwar?

  1. octimotor

    from: octimotor

    deterrence?

    It would be better we not come to rely on the good sense of others to avoid activating suicide pacts.

    The usa strategic defense initiative organization era concept (1980’s), a defense that truly defends, not merely after the fact avenges, may be the preferable mindset.

    -om-

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *