Strategic Warfare in Cyberspace [Hardcover]

Gregory J. Rattray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0262182092 | ISBN-13: 978-0262182096 | Edition: 1

In the "information age," information systems may serve as both weapons and targets. Although the media have paid a good deal of attention to information warfare, most treatments so far are overly broad and without analytical foundations. In this book Gregory Rattray offers a comprehensive analysis of strategic information warfare waged via digital means as a distinct concern for the United States and its allies.Rattray begins by analyzing salient features of information infrastructures and distinguishing strategic information warfare from other types of information-based competition, such as financial crime and economic espionage. He then establishes a conceptual framework for the successful conduct of strategic warfare in general, and of strategic information warfare in particular. Taking a historical perspective, he examines U.S. efforts to develop air bombardment capabilities in the period between World Wars I and II and compares them to U.S. efforts in the 1990s to develop the capability to conduct strategic information warfare. He concludes with recommendations for strengthening U.S. strategic information warfare defenses.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This excellent analysis is essential reading for anyone concerned with the defense posture of the United States. All those with a stake in the security of the information infrastructure should read it. There is nothing else like it."--Dorothy Denning, Department of Computer Science, Georgetown University

"One of the most thoughtful and thorough books on the subject so far."--Seymour E. Goodman, Professor of International Affairs and Computing, Georgia Tech

"This book is the first comprehensive exploration of the strategic significance of information system vulnerability. Important reading for anyone trying to understand the full potential of cyber warfare."--Ashton B. Carter, Ford Foundation Professor of Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, and Co-Director, Harvard-Stanford Preventive Defense Project

About the Author

Gregory J. Rattray is currently the Commander of the 23rd Information Operations Squadron responsible for U. S. Air Force information warfare tactics and target development. He as previously assigned to Headquarters Air Force as the Deputy Chief, Defensive Information Warfare Division. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1 edition (April 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262182092
• ISBN-13: 978-0262182096
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A 'must-read' for information warfare policy wonks, June 8, 2002

By 

Richard Bejtlich "TaoSecurity" (Metro Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strategic Warfare in Cyberspace (Hardcover)

"Strategic Warfare in Cyberspace" (SWIC) takes discussions of information security policy to a new level. Lt Col Rattray is uniquely qualified to write this book, serving as commander of the 23rd Information Operations Squadron in the Air Force Information Warfare Center. While I was a captain in the Air Force Computer Emergency Response Team, he asked me if we were ready to defend against strategic information warfare attacks. His research into this issue forms the core of his excellent book.

SWIC is not written for technical staff. Rattray is a fellow Air Force Academy and Harvard University graduate, and I recognize his writing style and methodology as an effort to develop analytical frameworks. He takes an innovative approach, comparing American strategic information warfare efforts of the 1990's to development of the Army Air Corps' capability to wage strategic precision bombing. Rattray offers four enabling conditions for successful strategic warfare and five facilitating factors for establishing organization technological capabilities. He critiques strategic air war and strategic information war using these elements, drawing policy conclusions and making recommendations for future actions.

SWIC is highly original, very thorough, and well-documented. Rattray and I are both history/political science majors, so I found his discussion of Air Corps history enlightening. Readers more interested in conclusions may be tempted to skip this material. SWIC falls short in its descriptions of technical means to wage digital warfare. Someone with hands-on knowledge of specific attack and defense tools and techniques should have helped Rattray refine his understanding of the technical aspects of computer security. Nine years have passed since Farmer and Venema wrote the 'SATAN' assessment tool, yet contemporary writers still believe it exemplifies current threats. What about Nmap, which is five years old but actively maintained and used daily?

Overall, SWIC seems right on the money in its analysis and conclusions. Rattray correctly identifies that American information warfare defenses are far too crime-oriented, probably due to the FBI's role. He stresses the need to improve people and processes, not just products. He faults the government for omitting technology vendors from the protection of critical infrastructure, and criticizes federal policy mistakes regarding encryption. Government, military, and industry policymakers should read and heed Rattray's book before an adversary tests the United States' capability to wage strategic information warfare.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent!, May 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Strategic Warfare in Cyberspace (Hardcover)

Rattray lays a framework for the analysis of a growing threat to U.S. national security in the twenty-first century, information warfare (IW). While the number of studies on IW have steadily increased over the past five years, Rattray's book is unique in its sober examination of the hurdles organizations face in dealing with new technologies, as well as in its reference to the history of strategic warfare. This volume contributes to the growing literature on information warfare. It differs from other books, such as Sofaer and Goodman's Transnational Dimension of Cyber Crime, Denning's Information Warfare and Security, and Schwartau's Information Warfare in its historical analysis of U.S. strategic thinking in the inter-war period. It should be recommended to graduate and advanced undergraduate students.----J. Granville, Stanford

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent!, May 1, 2003

By 

"promptsales" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strategic Warfare in Cyberspace (Hardcover)

Rattray lays a framework for the analysis of a growing threat to U.S. national security in the twenty-first century, information warfare (IW). While the number of studies on IW have steadily increased over the past five years, Rattray's book is unique in its sober examination of the hurdles organizations face in dealing with new technologies, as well as in its reference to the history of strategic warfare. This volume contributes to the growing literature on information warfare. It differs from other books, such as Sofaer and Goodman's Transnational Dimension of Cyber Crime, Denning's Information Warfare and Security, and Schwartau's Information Warfare in its historical analysis of U.S. strategic thinking in the inter-war period. It should be recommended to graduate and advanced undergraduate students.