Cyber & Space Flashcards
What is the big change happening regarding the internet and cyberspace?
- Human societies going through sea change in communications
- Stakeholders include businesses, government agencies, civil society
What is cyberspace?
A global domain within the information environment consisting of the interdependent network of information technology infrastructures, including the Internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers.
What is the Problem of Translation in cyberwarfare?
- Big differences in terminology and definitions, e.g. between the US, Russia and China
- These differences in translation have a direct bearing on policy formulation
What are some instances of the cyberwarfare Problem of Translation?
- US used to talk about ‘information warfare’, especially in the 1990s, but this term went out of fashion whereas ‘cyber’ was increasingly used from 2000s onwards
- In contrast, Russia and China still focus on ‘information’ rather than ‘cyber’
- However, even within governments there has been an evolution (e.g. US definitions from the early 2000s are different from today)
What is Cyber Deterrence?
use of cyber operations to deter actions within other domains of conflict
deterrence of adversary cyberspace operations within the cyber domain
What is Cyberwarfare?
hostile actions in cyberspace that have effects that amplify or are equivalent to major kinetic violence
Who is involved in Cyberwarfare?
utilised by state and non-state actors
What are the targets of Cyberwarfare?
Involves direct attacks in cyberspace that are not necessarily aimed at military forces per se, but are directed at opponents digitally enabled systems in general
How is Cyberwarfare linked with conventional warfare?
Usually launched in tandem with conventional military operations
Can also be utilised in peacetime
How commonly is Cyberwarfare conducted?
Rare compared to financial crimes, espionage, and information operations
How are Cybersecurity and Armed Conflict increasingly connected?
- Offence has advantage over defence
- All recent conflicts have a cyber dimension
Will there be such a thing as a pure cyber-war?
So far, despite hype, there is no indication of this
* So far, only major cyber attacks of limited duration
* Rules of the road/laws of war difficult to establish
How is ISIS involved with the cyberspace and cyberwarfare?
ISIS uses digital technologies to recruit, train, fundraise and purchase supplies
ISIS only able to conduct small-scale denial of service attacks
Do terrorist organisations prefer terror attacks or cyber operations?
Terrorist attacks produce shock (explosions, casualties) whereas cyber operations take time, money, and technical skill
Terrorist groups focus on what is cheap and noticeable
What caused the Russian cyberattacks on Estonia in 2007?
Followed decision by Estonian government to move Soviet-era statue and graves
How did Estonia respond to the Russian cyberattacks in 2007?
Estonia does not invoke NATO’s Article 5
After attack Estonia makes major investments in cyberdefense (public and private sector)
What does Ukraine’s IT Army do?
Uses distributed denial-of-service attacks and other cyber attacks against Russia’s digital infrastructure (banks, businesses, government websites)
Imposes economic costs on Russian businesses but also places limits on some civilian targets
How to assess impact of cyber conflict in Russia-Ukraine?
- Ukraine IT army: causes some disruption to Russian society but strategic impact is marginal
- Russian cyberattacks fail to have decisive impact in support of invasion
- However, it would be worse for both sides in absence of heavy investment in cyber security
How to assess impact of cyber conflict in Israel-Palestine?
- Hamas use of cyber acquired intel helps with attack planning
- Hamas/Iran/sympathisers launch cyber-attacks on Israel (minimal impact)
- Israel cyberattacks on Hamas limited because it doesn’t rely much on internet
- Israel can turn on/off internet connectivity in Gaza (telecommunications blackout leads to international condemnation)
What is the relationship of North Korea and cyberwarfare?
Kim Jong-un views cyber power as central to modern political and military competition
Reportedly has a cyber army of 7,000 personnel skilled in ransomware, cyber bank heists and data espionage
What is the origin of military use of space?
US first uses satellites in Vietnam war
How does satellite reconnaissance affect warfare understanding over time?
Satellite reconnaissance completely changes nuclear (and international) landscape - provides stability in arms race, facilitates arms control, reduces fear of sneak attack
What are the key trends in military use of space?
Anti-satellite weapons + massive growth in commercial use of space (and military reliance on private sector satellites)
How does the military use of space affect Ukraine?
- Commercial satellite imaging delivers crucial intelligence to Ukraine
- Starlink satellites provide connectivity for Ukrainian military and vital for drone strikes
What is the importance of Space Security for humanity?
Space security is not only looking down to earth from space!
Also need to think about protecting earth from asteroids and comets (Near Earth Objects)
Not only nuclear war and climate change can produce extinction level effects
What was Starfish Prime?
- July 1962 high-altitude (280 miles above sea level) 1.45 megaton nuclear test 900 miles away from Hawaii
- Results in Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) that affects Hawaii
- Also damages one third of satellites then in orbit
What was Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars)?
Initiates land and space-based strategic missile defense program in 1983
- Reagan refuses to abandon it as part of US-Soviet arms control
- Probably helped delay end of Cold War and prevented deeper cuts
How do Satellites and Missile Defence work together?
System reliant on hundreds of satellites in low earth orbit designed to track advanced missile threats through all phases of flight
Increases ability of interceptors to hit
How is AI used in the Russia-Ukraine War?
To geolocate and analyse open-source data such as social media content to identify Russian soldiers, weapons, systems, units or their movements
Ukrainian cyber defenses were successful due to advances in AI-enhanced threat intelligence and the quick distribution of protective software to cloud services and other computer networks
How is AI used in the Israel-Palestine War?
Use of AI tools for identifying targets for potential strikes
Many examples highlight problems of faulty data andalgorithms
