Cyber-War The Anatomy of the Global Security Threat

This unique project takes a socio-political approach to the widely debated issue of cyber-war, considering changing patterns of conflict, international diplomacy and governmental thinking in the face of the emerging threat.

In examining whether an example of cyber war has yet been seen, a number of case studies are explored, from the explosion of a Soviet pipeline in the latter stages of the Cold War; to the 2007 attacks on Estonia; and the recent discovery of the Stuxnet worm in an Iranian nuclear plant. This highly accessible study attempts to demystify technical concepts, and will appeal to scholars, practitioners and interested observers involved in the study of this most contemporary of security threats.

Julian Richards is the Co-Director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham, UK. Prior to academic life, he spent seventeen years working in security and intelligence for the UK government. He is the author of three books on intelligence analysis and security policy, and a regular commentator on UK and international media.

1. Introduction: the Cyber Landscape
2. Cyber and the Changing Nature of Conflict
3. Has Cyber War Happened?
4. A new Cold War? Russia, China, the US and Cyber War
5. Responses to the Threat: National Cyber Security Planning
6. Conclusions: A Pathway Through the Forest