Cyber-War: The Anatomy of the Global Security Threat (Palgrave Pivot)

Cyber-War provides a critical assessment of current debates around the likelihood and impact of cyber warfare. Approaching the subject from a socio-political angle, it argues that destructive cyber war has not yet been seen, but could be a feature of future conflict. This unique project takes a socio-political approach to the widely debated issue of cyber-war, considering changing patterns of conflict, international diplomacy and governmental thinking in the face of the emerging threat. In examining whether an example of cyber war has yet been seen, a number of case studies are explored, from the explosion of a Soviet pipeline in the latter stages of the Cold War; to the 2007 attacks on Estonia; and the recent discovery of the Stuxnet worm in an Iranian nuclear plant. This highly accessible study attempts to demystify technical concepts, and will appeal to scholars, practitioners and interested observers involved in the study of this most contemporary of security threats Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction: The Cyber Landscape....Pages 1-13 Cyber and the Changing Nature of Conflict....Pages 14-27 Has Cyber War Happened?....Pages 28-42 A New Cold War? Russia, China, the US and Cyber War....Pages 43-56 Responses to the Threat: National Cyber Security Planning....Pages 57-70 Conclusions: A Pathway through the Forest....Pages 71-81 Back Matter....Pages 82-91