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Information warfare, as any casual observer of the Pentagon can attest, remains a hot-button topic in the military community. Thus does war follow commerce into cyberspace, pitting foes against one another for control of this clearly critical high ground. But does this facile comparison have a basis in reality? In this iconoclastic spirit, the six essays in this book are characterized by a continuing search for the meaning of information warfare.
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Defending Cyberspace
and Other Metaphors
Martin C. Libicki THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED
Directorate of Advanced Concepts, Technologies and Information Strategies Institute for National Strategic Studies
National Defense University Washington, DC
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NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY President: Lieutenant General E ~ i J.n Rokke, USAF Vice President: Ambassador William G. Walker
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INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL STRATEGIC STUDIES Director: Dr. Hans A. Binnendijk
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DIRECTORATE OF ADVANCED CONCEF'TS, TECHNOLOGIES AND INFORMATION STRATEGIES (ACTIS) Director: Dr. David S. Alberts Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC 203 19-6000 Phone: (202) 685-2209 Facsimile: (202) 685-3664
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Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations, expressed or implied, are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Defense University, the Department of Defense, or any other U.S. Government agency. Cleared for public release; distribution unlimited. . .. Portions of this publication may be quoted or reprinted without further permission, with credit to the Institute for National Strategic Studies, Washington, DC. Courtesy copies of reviews would be appreciated. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Defending Cyberspace and Other Metaphors / Martin C. Libicki. p. cm. ISBN 1-57906-031-5 1. Information Warfare-United States. 2. Information Superhighway-United States. I. Title U163.L52 1997 355.3'43-dc21 96-53238 CIP First Printing, February 1997 For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP Washington, DC 20402-9328 Phone: (202) 512-1800
Contents
Introduction
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Essay One: Perspectives on Defending Cyberspace Potential Threats to the NII . . . . . . . . . . . . Everyday Threats Engender Everyday Defenses Deep Threats Focus the Risk on Attackers . . . Systems Can Be Protected . . . . . . . . . . . . . The NII's Vulnerability Should Not Be Exaggerated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Information Attacks Offer Few Obvious Strategic Gains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Provision of Systems Security Is Inescapably Private . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Some Things Are Worth Doing . . . . . . . . . Things to Avoid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Essay Two: Deterring Information Attacks . . . . Elements of Deterrence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining the Incident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Determining the Perpetrator . . . . . . . . . . . . Certainty of Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Essay Three: Indistinguishable from Magic . . . . Bosnia. Strategic Defense. and the NII . . . . . Assessing Information Warfare Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Essay Four: The Retro Revolution . . . . . . . . . . The Vocabulary of' Strategic Conflict . . . . . . The Ascendancy of Intelligence Operations . . Retarding Reform of Acquisition . . . . . . . . . A Concluding Thought . . . .