IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Fall 2014 - 14

ANGELYN FLOWERS
AND SHERALI ZEADALLY

COMMENTARY

Cyberwar: The What,
When, Why, and How

yberwar is insidious, invisible to most,
two threshold requirements have been identified when
and is fought out of sight. It takes place
nation-states assess the consequences and their potenin cyberspace, a location that cannot be
tial response. first, what is the threshold for considerseen, touched, nor felt. Cyberspace has
ing a cyber-event an act of war or comparable to the
been defined as the fifth domain of war [1]. We can
use of force? Second (which will not be addressed in
see the physical instruments, such as computers, routthis article), what is the threshold between tactical and
ers, cables, however these instruments interact in a virstrategic applications of cyberattacks [2]?
tual and unseen realm. This facilitates a reach that can
This evolution of war is particularly important when
extend from one part of the world to attacks on public or
addressing cyberwar, which can include both kinetic and
private sector entities in another part of the world, while
non-kinetic activities. Kinetic activities are associated
perpetrator remains unknown in a legally
with motion. In the military arena, this
provable sense. The defining questions for
typically includes armed attacks, bombs
life in the 21st century may be: what is
dropping, etc. Non-kinetic cyberwar
Cyberwar is
cyberwar? Will we know it when we see
actions are typically directed towards tarinsidious and
it? If so, what do we do in response?
geting any aspect of an opponent's cyber
is fought out
The lack of precision in the terminolsystems such as communications, logisogy helps to cloud the issue. Terms such
of sight, invisible tics, or intelligence. When used in conas cybercrime, cyberespionage and cyberjunction with a kinetic battle, non-kinetic
to most.
attack are often used interchangeably. We
cyber activities can include disruption of
speak of hackers, cybercriminals, and
an opponent's logistical supply chain or
cyberterrorists as if they were identical. In many cases,
diversion of essential military supplies. Other types of
they may be, or at least they may be closely related.
non-kinetic cyber activity can include the destabilization
The term cyberwar has been used in a variety of differof a government's financial system, interference with a
ent contexts. Since war itself is generally considered as
government's computer systems, or infiltrating a coma military enterprise, cyberwar has often been linked
puter system for the purposes of espionage. The ongoing
to a conceptual framework associated with traditional
debate discusses the extent to which these non-kinetic
notions of warfare. These notions generally involve
activities should be considered as cyberwarfare when
force, physical harm, and violence. In this work, we
they are not associated with an actual physical battle.
examine the challenges this definition presents in a 21st
century cyber-connected and cyber-dependent world,
How Can Cyberwar Be Defined?
and we propose an expanded conceptual framework for
Efforts have been made to address the definition of
cyberwar.
cyberwar. The recently completed Tallinn Manual on
Underlying factors, such as the level of activity or
International Law Applicable in Cyberwarfare [3] was
behavior involved in cyberwar, and how many or what
developed at the request of the North Atlantic Treaty
type of cyberattacks it takes for it to be defined as a
Organization (NATO) and the Cooperative Cyber
cyberwar, become important. In recognizing the role
Defense Center of Excellence (CCD-COE). The difthat cyberattacks will play in future military conflicts,
ficulty is that nation-states and non-state actors do not
always follow laws when it comes to war. More importantly, increases in asymmetrical warfare, and the expoDigital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2014.2345196
nentially evolving nature of the Internet, tend to make
Date of publication: 17 September 2014
14

IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

fALL 2014

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