The new reality of cyber war

Citation

(2013), "The new reality of cyber war", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 36 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm.2013.18136baa.003

The new reality of cyber war

The new reality of cyber war

Article Type: Perspectives on policing From: Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Volume 36, Issue 2.

James P. Farwell and Rafal RohozinskiSurvival: Global Politics and Strategy2012Vol. 54No. 4pp. 107-129

This descriptive and exploratory study examined emerging strategies regarding the pursuit and capture of criminal entrepreneurs or state-sponsored cyber attackers using recent events. In particular, the concepts of the “hot pursuit” and “use of force” have seen recent digital analogies in recent high profile cases. For example, the authors bring note to the use of hot pursuit has been acceptable in other “global commons” areas, such as air, space, and land. Further, high profile events such as Operation Olympic Games, a joint US-Israeli venture that in part aimed to set back the Iranian nuclear program by use of cyber force, gave legal observers the opportunity to discover how the US government intends to use force in the digital domain.

The authors claim that the USA and Israel have set the precedent for use of cyber force for other nations to follow. As long as law enforcement entities and governments are able to use software (or, presumably hardware and network means) that can narrowly target an offender or suspect, it appears that this use of force may be the new status quo. Yet, interestingly enough, the use of force by governments as a potent tool of national security may also backfire and hold back strides law enforcement may take to police cyber crime. The reason, the authors point out, is that the same tools employed by governments are largely indistinguishable with the ones employed by cyber criminals. Most law enforcement agencies do not have the capabilities to identify cyber offending in real time; but as our police forces gain sophistication, it will be important to explore these sorts of case studies to understand virtual use of force and pursuit.

After thorough review, it appears that the “use of cyber force” still remains ambiguous, at best, and highly shrouded with any documentation receiving a classified moniker. Domestic police forces may be able to utilize technology to go on the offensive to prevent crime or further crime. While far from conventional at this point in time, it will be important to keep a pulse on these kinds of case studies to be able to utilize these tools when they become available.