Implementing cyber coercion

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Authors
Woods, Clinton, M.
Subjects
cyber coercion
cyber warfare
cyber policy
Advisors
Rowe, Neil C.
Date of Issue
2015-03
Date
March 2015
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Cyberspace has become an essential component of modern militaries. As this dependency grows, militaries who exploit this dependency may be able to hurt their adversaries within cyberspace to coerce them into a desirable action. This thesis will explore one particular use of cyber coercion, the use of cyber weapons to target supply chains, to study what methods may be best suited for cyber coercion. This thesis first looks at the possibilities for cyber coercion and the various factors that are important for an attack method to successfully coerce an adversary, including reusability, reversibility, and legality. It then proposes various cyber attacks that could be used in cyber coercion and reviews factors important in cyber coercion. Next, it takes these proposed methods and walks through three scenarios against fictional nation-states to analyze how these methods might perform in a cyber-coercion operation. Included are possible effects if these same attacks were used against the United States. Findings are then presented based on the scenarios.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Computer Science
Computer Science
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.
Collections