An ever growing number of states around the world are preparing for
conflict in the cyber domain, and, in this context, have been developing cyber warfare
by Emanuele Bonini
While international law is still struggling with defining norms on state actions in cyberspace, the latter is now increasingly viewed as a fifth domain of warfare, revealed a study conducted by the European Parliament. Although, for the time being, no cyber attack is known to have provoked death or physical damage to human beings, an ever growing number of states around the world are preparing for conflict in the cyber domain, and, in this context, have been developing national doctrines, cyber-defence strategies and defensive and offensive capabilities for cyber warfare. In today's highly interconnected world, cyberspace and the wide array of risks and threats associated with it have become more and more preoccupying for states. The increasing range and sophistication of threats in the cyber realm – from malware to distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to advanced persistent threats (APT) – have prompted efforts to protect against the risks posed to businesses and governments alike: economic and military espionage, theft of intellectual property, interference with critical infrastructure, and destruction of data. In this context, states are developing cyber-defence and cyber-offence capabilities to prepare for the advent of "cyber war".
United States: the country has militarised the response to cyber-attacks through its Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), launched in 2010 and bringing together the cyber components of the US Navy, the US Marine Corps, the army and air force into a unified command. USCYBERCOM is one of the largest cyber-defence organisations in the world. The Pentagon has also increased spending on cyber operations ($26 billion over the next five years) and pledged to build a 6.000 strong cyber force by 2016. Moreover, a 2013 presidential directive instructs the US to aid allies who come under foreign cyber attack;
While international law is still struggling with defining norms on state actions in cyberspace, the latter is now increasingly viewed as a fifth domain of warfare, revealed a study conducted by the European Parliament. Although, for the time being, no cyber attack is known to have provoked death or physical damage to human beings, an ever growing number of states around the world are preparing for conflict in the cyber domain, and, in this context, have been developing national doctrines, cyber-defence strategies and defensive and offensive capabilities for cyber warfare. In today's highly interconnected world, cyberspace and the wide array of risks and threats associated with it have become more and more preoccupying for states. The increasing range and sophistication of threats in the cyber realm – from malware to distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to advanced persistent threats (APT) – have prompted efforts to protect against the risks posed to businesses and governments alike: economic and military espionage, theft of intellectual property, interference with critical infrastructure, and destruction of data. In this context, states are developing cyber-defence and cyber-offence capabilities to prepare for the advent of "cyber war".
United States: the country has militarised the response to cyber-attacks through its Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), launched in 2010 and bringing together the cyber components of the US Navy, the US Marine Corps, the army and air force into a unified command. USCYBERCOM is one of the largest cyber-defence organisations in the world. The Pentagon has also increased spending on cyber operations ($26 billion over the next five years) and pledged to build a 6.000 strong cyber force by 2016. Moreover, a 2013 presidential directive instructs the US to aid allies who come under foreign cyber attack;
