This article seeks to shed some light on the application of international humanitarian law (IHL), otherwise known as the law of armed conflict or the laws of war, to the phenomenon of cyber warfare.
In recent years, activity in cyberspace has developed at a rapid and intense pace. In 2002, the government of Israel addressed this challenge by establishing the National Information Security Authority. Since then, Israel’s functional continuity has become even more dependent on technology in general, and on cyberspace activity in particular. As a consequence of this dependence, the threats to Israel’s functional continuity have intensified. Numerous states and enemies are systematically developing capabilities and acting against...
On December 23, 2015, malfunctions were reported in portions of the electrical network in western Ukraine, after the operations of 27 distribution stations and three power plants were disrupted, causing the electricity supply system to crash. This was not a routine power outage: the Ukrainian authorities believe that a cyber attack originating in Russia caused the malfunction, and the Security Service of Ukraine has blamed Russia for the power outages. The conclusions of several security companies confirm the suspicion linking the...
This article provides insights into the dangers and opportunities that the cyber realm poses to states by conducting the first comprehensive case study on Israeli use of cyberspace. Israel faces a constant barrage of cyberattacks from actors ranging from states to hacker groups to individuals. This has forced Israel to develop highly advanced capabilities. Israel has not just faced cyberattacks but has also been a leader in using the cyber realm for offense. Although the threats to Israel are severe, they are not unique; thus, Israel...
The Islamic State burst onto the Middle East scene as an entity whose conduct and very essence challenge the existing regional order. With its military conquests in Iraq and Syria, its establishment of branches elsewhere in the Middle East and beyond, its state-like governance in the areas under its control, and the cruelty it typically exhibits, the Islamic State has become the focus of regional and international interest and concern. The articles compiled in this volume examine ways of dealing with one of the most salient military,...
The rapid development of cyberspace has led to a growing threat of criminally motivated cybertheft of intellectual property in general, and of commercial and private digital trade secrets in particular. This kind of cybercrime could have a critical impact on the international macro-economic system, including potential massive loss of tax revenue and drop in GDP. While most countries have strategic cyber defense doctrines to protect their physical critical infrastructures against politically motivated cyber warfare, they still lack...
This essay focuses on how the Islamic State and other non-state actors use media and technology to influence individuals and groups by combining Internet activity with activity in the real world. The Islamic State functions in an actual physical and geographical space, in cyberspace, and within the conscious realm. Eachserves the Islamic State’s communications, propaganda, psychological warfare, and recruitment, influencing individuals and groups and inducing them to carry out “spontaneous” acts of terrorism. The way the Islamic...
The cyber era has caused enormous changes in intelligence and intelligence gathering. This article discusses whether the profession of human intelligence (HUMINT) is currently still relevant when cyberspace constitutes the main scene for intelligence gathering and action. If so, what missions should it assume, and are new opportunities being created for new operational methods in the cyber era? The article examines the substance of the HUMINT discipline and the challenges that cyberspace poses to this discipline. It also addresses...
The United States drones program, which uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for targeted killings of a suspected terrorist or one suspected of involvement in terrorism, has aroused severe criticism following an investigative report published recently on an American news website that included disclosure of relevant secret documents. Earlier this year claims were sounded that the results of the drones program were inadequate. Against this background, and especially given the number of civilians killed in attacks, there were demands to...
In February 2015, the Israeli government approved the establishment of the National Cyber Defense Authority, which will constitute the state’s operational arm for the defense of the civilian sphere against cyber threats. One of the state’s challenges is to integrate the private sector in this activity, both as the main consumer of defense and as a participant in the defense system. This article proposes a strategy for the state’s handling of this problem. In general, it is proposed that the state will defend the national...
Operation Protective Edge (July 7-August 26, 2014) was the longest and most complex military challenge in a continuing cycle of violence between the State of Israel and Hamas since the organization’s inception in 1987. It is still too early to assess the achievements and the results of the military campaign, which are still not sufficiently clear for either side, and to determine whether Israel succeeded in achieving its primary aim of establishing longterm deterrence. Throughout the campaign, Hamas used all its capabilities,...
