collateral-damage
Unintended harm caused to third-party nations or systems as cyber weapons spread beyond their intended targets.
2 chapters across 1 book
Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It (2012)Richard A. Clarke and Robert K. Knake
The chapter explores a hypothetical cyber conflict scenario involving the U.S., China, Estonia, and Russia, illustrating how cyber attacks can quickly escalate into global confrontations due to the interconnected nature of networks and the difficulty of tracing attack origins. It highlights the complexities of attribution in cyber warfare, the potential for collateral damage across national borders, and the challenges posed by the rapid, borderless spread of cyber weapons like worms.
This chapter explores the complexities and ethical dilemmas of cyber warfare, focusing on the concept of 'withhold doctrine'—targets that are deliberately excluded from attack due to potential catastrophic collateral damage. It highlights the vulnerabilities of civilian infrastructure such as power grids, financial systems, and air traffic control, emphasizing the difficulty of conducting precise cyber attacks without affecting civilians. The chapter also discusses the challenges of maintaining trust and stability in interconnected systems and the need for pre-established protocols to manage data-altering cyber breaches.