Digital information warfare trends in Eurasia

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of information and communications technologies has improved the means to record and transmit information. Not surprisingly, this digitized information can be exploited, corrupted, denied or destroyed electronically, resulting in digital information warfare (DIW). This article examines politically motivated cyberattacks in Eurasia to conduct DIW trend analyses. Document analysis is conducted on 86 documents dated from 1995 to 2011. The article goes beyond traditional DIW research on criminal organization and attack complexity by adding four new DIW components: division of labor, alliances, communication and physical elements. It generates a discussion of whether any of these components are connected, more prominent or exhibits a temporal order. The article also examines several factors that sustain and promote DIW, discusses practical lessons that can be learned from DIW in Eurasia, and offers suggestions for further research.