Inside Cyber Warfare - Jeffrey Carr [104]
Priority of these components begins with CNE, since the People’s Republic of China believes that it is presently the target of computer network attacks by the United States.
CNA is believed to be most effective at the very beginning of a conflict and may be used for maximum effect as a preemptive strike. Ideally, if the CNA is disruptive enough, it may end the conflict before it progresses to a full-scale war.
Targets of interest for a network attack include “hubs and other crucial links in the system that moves enemy troops as well as the war-making machine, such as harbors, airports, means of transportation, battlefield installations, and the communications, command and control and information systems” according to Lu Linzhi in his article “Preemptive Strikes Crucial in Limited High-Tech Wars” (Jiefangjun bao, February 14, 1996).
US vulnerability to this strategy was recently underscored with the release of the FAA Inspector General’s report on the state of Air Traffic Control (ATC) network security. One of the findings revealed that only 11 of the hundreds of ATC systems were protected by mandatory intrusion detection systems. The report goes on to state that some of the cyber attacks may have been successful in gaining control of ATC systems:
During Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, more than 800 cyber incident alerts were issued to the Air Traffic Organization (ATO), which is responsible for ATC operations. As of the end of FY 2008, over 150 incidents (17 percent) had not been remediated, including critical incidents in which hackers may have taken over control of ATO computers.
Anti-Access Strategies
Anti-access is a strategy that the PLA has adopted to slow the advance or hamper the operational tempo of an opposing force into a theater of operations during time of war. The RAND Corporation released an excellent study on this strategy, authored by James Mulvenon and David Finkelstein, and it sheds additional light on how the PRC is planning to fight future wars.
They acknowledge up-front that “anti-access” per se is not a formal Chinese military strategy; rather, it is a way of summing up Chinese doctrine that addresses the problem of defeating a superior foe. In the case of the United States, that means recognizing US reliance on information networks as a significant vulnerability that, if exploited, could throw US plans into chaos and delay or suspend any impending attack.
Anti-access techniques have a broad range, up to and including triggering an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) device. Targets could include computer systems based in the United States or abroad, command and control nodes, space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and communications assets.
The 36 Stratagems
No one can say for certain who wrote these 36 martial proverbs; however, some Chinese historians date them as far back as the Southern Qi dynasty (479–502), which was about 1,000 years after Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War.
The 36 stratagems have a darker connotation than The Art of War, focusing solely on acts of trickery, mischief, and mayhem—more the province of spies than soldiers. This makes the ancient document an inspiring resource for today’s Chinese nonstate hackers, who rely on creating ruses to trick unsuspecting Internet users into leaving the safety of their firewalls for dangerous terrain. It’s also interesting to note that, unlike Russia, China has never engaged in military action where cyber warfare was a component, allegedly opting instead for acts of cyber espionage:
Stratagem #3: “Kill with a borrowed knife”
This stratagem advises “Attack using the strength of another (in a situation where using one’s own strength is not favourable).”
This could just as easily apply to the use of botnets as a means to launch DDOS attacks.
Stratagem #8: “Openly repair the gallery roads, but sneak through the passage of Chencang”
This stratagem advises “Deceive the enemy with an obvious approach that