Bradley L. Boyd

Cyber Warfare: Armageddon in a Teacup? Bradley L. Boyd

Security concerns over the growing capability of Cyber Warfare are in the forefront of national policy and security discussions. In order to enable a realistic discussion of the topic this thesis seeks to analyze demonstrated Cyber Warfare capability and its ability to achieve strategic political objectives. This study examines Cyber Warfare conducted against Estonia in 2007, Georgia in 2008, and Israel in 2008. In all three cases Cyber Warfare did not achieve strategic political objectives on its own. Cyber Warfare employed in the three cases consisted mainly of Denial of Service attacks and website defacement. These attacks were a significant inconvenience to the affected nations, but the attacks were not of sufficient scope, sophistication, or duration to force a concession from the targeted nation. Cyber Warfare offensive capability does not outmatch defensive capability to the extent that would allow the achievement of a strategic political objective through Cyber Warfare alone. The possibility of strategic level Cyber Warfare remains great, but the capability has not been demonstrated at this time.