Cyber hegemony and information warfare: A case of Russia

Asma Rashid; Anum Yar Khan; Syed Wasif Azim

doi:10.47264/idea.lassij/5.1.42

Authors

Asma Rashid Department of Politics and International Relation, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1502-7372
Anum Yar Khan Department of Politics and International Relation at International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0674-1972
Syed Wasif Azim Department of Political Science, School of Political & Social Sciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7063-7785

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/5.1.42

Keywords:

CISA, NATO, crowd strike, cyber-attacks, cyber espionage, cyber security, fifth generation warfare, malware, Russian report, Solar Winds, unconventional warfare

Abstract

The world has shifted to a digital landscape in the recent decade with both its perks and underlying threats. Russia, throughout history has experimented with its information along with cyber channels and have been able to generate fruitful results that are manifested in the contemporary era. Russian expertise towards merging cyber domain into its military capabilities is praiseworthy to the point that its Western adversaries, despite the fact being economically and technologically advanced compared to Russia, have not been able to effectively counter Russian aggression. This research examines the essentiality of cyber security as a mere software or cyber command can create instability and drastic consequences requiring millions for clean-up by examining Russian cyber-attacks on Estonia, Georgia, Ukraine, US and Western Europe and concludes that the first steps towards Cyber and Information Warfare have been made, it is now to be made sure this does not escalate into a Cyber Arms Race. The research recommends that cyber security should be treated as an international issue with rules established for cyber governance and databases identifying cyber criminals and the software used by them or can be used by them and requires cooperation rather than competition amongst states particularly global superpowers.

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