The Changing Nature of Cyberwarfare: International Security Implications

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Abstract

As cyberwarfare is becoming an important dimension of International Relations, earlier understandings of its nature (Rid, Stone), dimensions (Williams and Fiddner, Andres, Buchanan) and conceptual links to the international order (Choucri, Kello, Segal) must be revisited and revised.
This paper explores the evolution of cyberwarfare, via three interrelated arguments: (i) its definition should be expanded beyond standard dimensions of availability, confidentiality and integrity attacks to include cyber-hacking, cyber-terrorism and hybrid modes; (ii) its conceptualization should be advanced past existing considerations of security and strategy to include opportunity, volatility and financial profitability; (iii) its dimensions should be broadened to include a wider range of para- and non-state actors and theaters of operation, including social media, IoT and e-trade. Following a literature review, the paper advances these points by cross-referencing cases like Cuckoo’s Egg (1985), the attack against Estonia (2007), ‘Stuxnet’ (2010), ‘NotPetya’ (2017), the U.S. retaliation against Iranian drone attacks in Saudi Arabia (2019) and the Russian supply-chain attack against the U.S. government (2020) . It concludes by discussing the effects of the changing nature of cyberwarfare on International Relations concepts (e.g., information deterrence, asymmetric cyber-balancing, hegemonic theories and data ownership), on International Law (Jus Ad Bellum, Jus In Bello), and on the very concepts of conflict and war themselves.

Author

• Spyridon Kotsovilis, University of Toronto Mississauga