Information warfare

Information warfare has many aspects and can be fought on many levels. On the battlefield, it can involve collecting tactical or strategic intelligence and protecting one’s own channels of communication. Conversely, it can involve dis-rupting the enemy’s means of communication, blocking the enemy’s intelligence gathering, spreading disinformation, and trying to disrupt their decision process. Beyond the battlefield, media (including the Internet) can be used for propaganda purposes.

All of these objectives today involve the use of digital information and communications systems. Examples include:

•  analysis of enemy communications using both auto-matic tools and human analysts

•  cryptography and signal analysis

•  protection of computer and network infrastructure

•  attacks and disruptions on enemy information infra-structure, both military and civilian (such as denial-of-service attacks on Web sites)

•  use of Web sites to spread disinformation or propa-ganda

History and Development

Information warfare is as old as warfare itself, with such things as ruses designed to trick or confuse enemy sentries or lighting many fires to convince the enemy that one’s army was much larger than in reality. Wiretapping and spoof messages began with the telegraph in the mid-19th century, and eavesdropping and other tricks with radio were used in World War I. These arts had greatly increased in scale and sophistication by World War II—an entire fake army corps was “created” to deceive the Germans prior to the D-day invasion.

Information warfare involving computers has been used in recent conflicts. The active phase of the U.S. attack in the first Gulf War in 1991 began with systematic destruction and disruption of Iraqi information and command-and-con-trol assets through targeted attacks. As a result, the still largely intact Iraqi military was left blind as to the coming flank attack by U.S. forces.

In 2007 a series of coordinated attacks by unknown parties paralyzed much of Estonia’s Web-based government and business structures following a dispute with Russia. To many observers this represents a model for “strategic” information warfare that might be used in future conflicts. (Note that the techniques used in information warfare by the national military and the kinds of cyber attacks that might be favored by terrorists overlap. For the latter, see cyberterrorism.)