My conception of iw involves attacks on C3I systems as well as propaganda attacks. The range includes EMP bombs and viruses as well as the introduction of subversive propaganda or the introduction of new communication technology. This is hindered by the "control" leg of the C3 stool, one sneered at by information anarchists, but essential to military operations. Information Warfare: those actions which inhibit the ability of an adversary to repond/react/retaliate to the actions of another relating to electronic warfare. Can have psycological or economic impac as well as physical. Denial is the easiest form of attack but the easiest to detect. Is primarily tactical in nature. Compromise is more difficult but easier to hide. Corruption of data is the most difficult to accomplish but potentially has the greatest strategic importance. Corporate / Governement espionage. Today it can come in many forms. False information, stolen information, spoofed information etc. It can have a wider area of effect with the advent of computer systems. Essentially, I am interested in anything that has any relation to high-tech crime. Information warefare fits nicely into that area. My definition of Information Warfare: Obtaining confidential information by: social engineering (skillful lying); researching public information; trash diving; cracking systems; trading KeWl WaReZ for information; sniffing data off the wire; electronic intercept. Using this information for: defence planning; gaining competetive advantage; gaining economic advantage; gaining political advantage; undermining trust in religious authority; undermining trust in government authority. IW is not a new concept. Same principles how to use information as a weapon has been used throughout history. BUT tools and ways how to conduct IW has evolved and we are now living times when IW has much bigger potential for or should I say against society than before. Tools to gather, analyse, react and dissipate information are so effective that it makes me wonder where are we heading. IW infrastructure is problematic. In conventional weapons you can try to control the destructive potential by treatys agreeing abandon factories and plants. IW infrastructure is the same facilities needed for societys normal information purposes. So there is no way to control the potential of IW easily. Perhaps it is everything that is a threat to the civilian and military society that use information as a weapon. Right now, offensive IW is an a way to manipulate/influence/affect/disrupt the C4 loop of an enemy or potential enemy. That is doing things to (1) confuse him or give him an incorrect picture of the battlefield (or potential battlefield), (2) manipulate the enemy into making a decision (or not making one as the case may be) that you would prefer he make (to suit your own objectives), (3) cause the enemy to implement non-optimum tactics or strategy, etc. I'm intersted in IW as a tool for propaganda. As far as I can see, it's a catch-all label for a number of intelligence activities that are as old as the hills, for industrial espionage, and for state-sponsored terrorism. It has a zingy sound, though, and in the post-cold-war era with budget cuts looming, a lot of cold warriors are re-aligning with new job markets, including IW and its associated hype. From all the "examples" I've heard of IW I've yet to see a cost effective application of it from either an attacker or defender's perspective. My take on IW? Not sure at the moment, but various denials of service come immediately to mind as actions to just confuse or disable the opponent; more subtle breaking/entering/copying/trojanizing/etc as more difficult but possibly more effective... Explain IW? to me, its quite simply an attack or defense based on a foundation of information. To me IW has two basic functions. One is to protect commmunications and information collection, analysis, and dissemination from interception, disruption, and modification. The other function is to do just that to the other side's information resources, making their communications, collection, analysis, and dissemination anything from unreliable to nonexistent. IW is practiced in both tactical and strategic applications of governments' ability to wage and sustain warfighting capabilities but could also be used by governments and business entities to procur economic advantages over opposing sides. IW to me means use of computer code to compromise Info Systems - eg. virii/ passwd cracking/ hacking etc. Information and information systems have become so critical to national well-being that defending against attacks and figuring out how to attack others in times of conflict are becoming mandatory strategies. The way I see it, IW encompasses all the aspects of information manipulation/disclosure/distortion to get tactical/strategical advantage over your enemy/competition. the denial of proper information resources to an opponent while protecting your own information resources I perceive it as a composite of the evolutionary directions of traditional malicious hacking, leading to organized attacks by people with definite financial or political objectives. Class 1: Personal IW (personal privacy issues) Class 2: Corporate IW (corporate information assets protection) Class 3: Global IW (conflict in the econo-technical global network dealing with nation-states and political or economic spheres of influence) "Information warfare is an electronic conflict in which information is a strategic asset worthy of conquest or destruction. Computers and other communications and information systems become attractive first-strike targets" The use of possibly false/misleading data to manipulate the decision making process of the an opponent. C1=P1+P2: Competition + Information Age = Information-based Competition. C2: Information-based Competition = Information-based Non-violent Warfare C3: Information Warfare = C2 + Information-based Violent Warfare but substituting for C1: = C1 + Information-based Violent Warfare which is even bigger than C1. Information = Data and systems to analyze data. Warfare = Deliberate attempts to break stuff and kill people to further a cause. IW = Range of activities from hacking and phreaking to using EMP to destroy economies in order to bring about a "political" change as opposed to just nefarious activities done for personal benefit, usually economic. In DoD IW has been defined, most recently, as "Actions taken to ahcieve information superiority by affecting adversary information, information based processes, and information systems, while defending our own information, information based processes, and information systems." Many in the department view IW as "an integrating strategy" - a way to improve mission effectiveness by bringing the various operational and support elements closer together. The enabeling factor in this strategy is of course information and information technolgy. IW is basically a recognition that we as a military, and a society for that matter, have become incredibly dependant upon information and information technology. This dependancy is both a asset to be leveraged to our gain and a liability which can be used against us. Warfare using intellectual capital. Whatever the definition for IW, my concern is that (1) automated information systems are becoming (have become) an integral part of the business (or warfare) process, are (2) massively interconnected - to include the global Internet, and therefore (3) are attractive targets for exploitation by adversaries. The tight decision cycle for the warfighter means that there will be no time to second guess the computer's output - providing frightening possibilities for impact from maliciously modified output. Besides time pressures, the warfighting process is simply becoming increasing dependent on the existence of computing - for example, consider the impact on reserve mobilization in a few years if the computing infrastructure is subverted. I define Information Warfare simply as control of information. Information warfare is about destroying information, stealing information, reducing information flows, reducing the reliability of information content, and denying access to information services/technology with the intention of gaining strategic, competitive or personal superiority over one's adversary. The collection of strategies, tactics and operations that impact or defend against impacts on the collection and application of information in combat. Successful information warfare: - N Vietnam's climate of opinion measures (Fonda visits, etc.) during the 60s. - Use of CNN video during gulf war - Leafletting, etc. during gulf war Unsuccessful information warfare: - Sadam Hussein's interview with the children prior to Gulf war - Airplane highjacking during the 60s Is it normal intelligence activities, or possibly covert operations directed against "enemy" information systems, or maybe technical information about systems which have historically and presently beeen associated with warfare? I think information warfare is the act of controlling and securing information that can be used against others (companies, individuals, countries, etc). In my opinion, it is probably similiar to the CIAs official function: to gather and process information that could be used to better secure our position in world affairs. Concept of IW: Hmmm. At its lowest common denominator, IW is nothing more than an old principle applied to modern technologies (computers, telecommunications, etc.). "Information War" means the day-to-day struggle to stay one step ahead of the hackers and wannabes who attach the systems for which I am responsible. one of the three pillars of future warfare (the others being dominating maneuver and precision strike)...not discrete enough...all aspects of gaining dominance on current or anticipated opponents by obtaining an advantage in the quest for information, both his and your own...or how about the ability to make decisions and create actions at all levels of warfare (strategic, operational, tactical) before the enemy by the use of offensive and defensive measures in communication and information. everything that has to do with C4I, EW, PSYOPS, Space warfare, deception, security, and anything else (like cyberwar) that they don't know where to catagorize. Measures taken by our forces by turning to friendly advantage or negating adversary efforts to deny information to, influence, degrade, or destroy friendly systems. Information warfare is the use of information and information systems as both offensive and defensive tools (weapons) against adversaries. Information Warfare is . . ." . . . actions taken to preserve the integroty of ones own information systems from exploitation, corruption or destruction, while at the same time exploiting, corrupting, or destroying an adversary's information systems and in the process achieving an information advantage in the application of force." In regards to your query of my concept of infowar, breifly, is the exploitation of any/all vulnerabilities of the internet in waging 'war' on society, governments, industries, or corporations. Use of information as a weapon to wage war, which can be physical, economic, political, social, racial, religious etc. Information := symbolic representations in the most general sense Warfare := armed conflict Information Warfare := Information x Warfare = armed conflict involving, effecting, or relating to symbolic representations AND symbolic representations involving, effecting, or relating to armed conflict. My concept of IW is the ever increasing need to provide security for system and network information against such attacks as masquerade, spoofing, sniffing, an man-in-the-middle attacks. IW is simply a way to apply the evolving doctrine of warfare (primarily maneuver and unconventional/low intensity theory) to an information-based economy. Unfortunately, most of the security establishment sees IW as a way to preserve their existing, obsolete, ways of doing things. Information Warfare has been with us ever since two people were at war. However, with the info explosion due to technical (i.e. computer) advances, a new "bit" driven dimension has been added, providing new "targets" and "weapons". I consider IW to be any effort that treats Information as a strategic asset to be attacked or protected. IW is using information to one's advantage while denying it to the adversary, and protecting our own systems. IW is a repackaging of several of the ancient principles of war, a lot of new technology and a dash of hype and budgetary politics. Warfare has been called "the extension of diplomacy by other means". It is about affecting the balance of power by augmenting that of the home team and or (preferably and) reducing that of the adversary. Information warfare is about the use of information specifically to accomplish this end. All actions, strategic and tactical, designed to deny, exploit, corrupt, destroy, protect and manipulate knowledge or perception. On a broader scale INFORMATION DOMINANCE - refers to the advantageous disparity obtained by creating, disseminating, accessing, and manipulating information for ones own ends while controlling information available to and perceived by competitors or adversaries. We define information warfare as any offensive or defensive use of information itself, or the human or machine means for collecting, processing, producing or disseminating information (to include constituent raw data or executable code), for the purposes of confusing (e.g., disinformation), temporarily disabling (e.g., disruption) or eliminating (e.g., destruction) the ability of individuals or organizations to exploit information. We consider time-honored techniques such as deception and feints to be information warfare equal in importance to the more recent manifestations such as computer viruses and network-based break-ins. It can be anything and everything depending on how you define it. This is perhaps the greatest challenge facing us right now. Only by agreeing on a common view of IW can the various endeavors effectively be coordinated. Lines of communication started with footpaths. Then vehicles were developed to move faster with bigger loads both on and off road. Then, to the skies. Now, at the end of the 20th century we are stepping in to the next dimension, if you will. The cyberworld has become one more LOC to exploit or be exploited by. Much of what is currently being discussed as "Information Warfare" is just various forms of deception using a new medium. Or is it that new? During the American Civil War, the new (less than 20 years old) telegraph was spoofed, jammed and used for deception (a telegraphist who could imitate other operators "fist" was a very valuable asset.) Same thing happened when radio came along. The air war over Europe in WW II involved a lot of what we would now call Information Warfare. Do we now have to rewrite all the history books to get the nomenclature updated? 1- Any action to affect adversary information, information systems, or information processess; 2 - Protecting oneself against those same actions; 3 - Optimizing use of info, info systems, and info processes. The tactics and strategies of warfare as applied to the disciple of information creation, storage, and transfer. As opposed to more classic warfare objectives which usually included control of portions of real estate (real or idealogical), information warfare can have as it's objective the control of information itself - today's major asset. ---------------------------------------- Jim (James F.) Dunnigan and Albert A. Nofi, "Victory and Deceit - Dirty Tricks at War" William Morrow and Co. Alan Campen (ed) "The First Information War" - AFCEA Press, (1992) 1994 DSB Summer Study on Information - "Architecture for the Battlefield" (October, 1994) "The Essence of Warfare: A Return to First Principles" Michael Wilson - The Nemesis Group (online) "Hardwar, Softwar, Wetwar: Operational Objectives of Information Warfare" Michael Wilson - The Nemesis Group (online) Sun Tzu - "The Art of War" - (online) "Motivation and Personality" A.H. Maslow N.Y., Harper and Bros, 1954 Greg Bateson, "Steps Toward An Ecology of Mind" (1973 NY: Ballentine) Fred Cohen, "Protection and Security on the Information Superhighway", Wiley and Sons (1995). Thesis: "National Security in the Information Age" (May 1995) Matthew G. Devost Winn Schwartau's book: "Information Warfare" (Thunder's Mouth Press, NY, 1994) "War and Anti-War - Survival at the Dawn of the 21st Century" Little, Brown, and Company, 1993 Alvin and Heidi Toffler "The Mesh and the Net: Speculations on Armed Conflict in a Time of Free Silicon," by Martin C. Libicki, March, 1994. (online) 1993 DISA Study: "Planning Considerations for Defensive Information Warfare" (online) [1] A. Turing. On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem. London Math Soc. Ser 2. Vol 42, Nov 12, 1936, 230-265. [2] John von Neumann ("Collected Works"), 1956 [3] John Conway, Still looking for a reference. The date comes from a copyright on a program I found somewhere. [4] C. Lee, "A Turing machine which prints its own code script", 1962. This apparently appeared in some IEEE transaction at some point but we don't have an exact citation. [5] Aleph-not, "Darwin", Computer Recreations - Software: Practice and Experience, Vol 2 pp 93-96, 1972 [6] Shoch and Hupp, "The Worm Programs - Early Experience With a Distributed Computation" CACM V23 No 3, March 1982. [7] F. Cohen, Computer Viruses - Theory and Experiments, IFIP-TC11 Conference. Toronto, April, 1984. [8] A. K. Dewdney, Computer Recreations, Scientific American, 250, 5, 14-22, May, 84 ---------------------------------------- IW:={Time, Location, Peace...War} A few other dimensions in common use include: Intensity, Hard...Soft Kill, Conflict type, Offense...Defense, Civilian...Military, Manual...Automatic Hard vs. Soft Kill Reversible vs. Irreversible Major Impact vs. Minor Impact Detectible vs. Undetectible