Category: The Alert
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Does the Cyber Offense Have the Advantage?
There is a simple conjecture that is quite common in all aspects of society: “the best defense is a good offense.” This idea persists and leads to the belief that action can trump protection in cyber security because of its simplicity and the general failure to evaluate claims with evidence. The complexity of computers can […]
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Active Cyber Defense: panacea or snake oil?
by Dr. Sven Herpig and Max Heinemeyer Active Cyber Defense is coming to the European Union. The EU is currently working on an update of its Network and Information Security Directive (NIS Directive) which, inter alia, includes a provision on active cyber defense. In other places, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and […]
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Making the Concept of Violence Central to the Study of Offensive Cyber Operations
Dr Florian J Egloff, Dr James Shires Cyberspace is everywhere. It is so prevalent that the concept has started to lose its functional utility – and, as the recent Facebook rebrand demonstrates, big tech companies still want to make cyber interactions even more seamless and attractive. For the majority of the world’s population with access […]
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To the Frontline and Beyond: How Ransomware’s Operational Details Can Inform Policy and Strategy
Dr Jamie Collier Mentioned just once in the UK Government’s Integrated Review, recent events highlight that ransomware is undoubtedly a crucial matter of national security. As Ciaran Martin has already discussed in The Alert, ransomware has recently disrupted oil and meat supplies, education infrastructure, and healthcare operations during a global pandemic. Offensive cyber might be […]
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Balancing on the rail – considering responsibility and restraint in the July 2021 Iran railways incident
JD Work [1], [2] An intrusion against a railway network, resulting in destructive effects leading to disruption of cargo and passenger transportation, would in previous decades likely have been considered a major strategic attack. Early writings on cyber warfare posited such actions only in theory, within the context of adapting ideas of other long-range strike […]
Offensive Cyber Working Group 