This paper was originally prepared for presentation given in Oulu University IPICS Winter School 2005 and further amended and updated during autumn 2013. It is based purely on public sources and trying to define overall picture of post-modern Information Operations in intertwined and digitized world from writers own perspective.
First chapter describes how information is changing intertwining structure of people and machines globally thus making it more vulnerable for Information Operations measures.
Second chapter is defining main measures and avenues of approach that may be used in Information Operations.
Third chapter is describing Information Society as a target and measures of defence.
Fourth chapter is opening the confrontation of Information Age and defining different national defence concepts for their vulnerable information assets.
Trust of a human being in to one’s own understanding, trust between people and people’s trust to information and machines are main targets for Information Operations. Information technology is enabling a plethora of new ways to attack on that trust, whilst information and communications technology also enables more effective and efficient ways to project other means of force.
Interdependency between states and other societies is increasing when comparing pre II WW time and today. National borders and interstate interactions were clearly defined and governmentally controlled. In post-modern world of today all levels of state’s functions – culture, commerce, education and infrastructure – are intertwining across national and other domain borders.
Picture 1: International relations between states of pre II WW era
Pre II WW national culture was attacked by propaganda that was easily recognized in adversary radio transmissions or leaflets. This propaganda was easily countered by national broadcasts and official newspapers telling official facts. Today we face complex flow of information, news and multicolored content from different sources of entertainment, societies of network gaming, commercial adds, news media, social media and blogs delivered by many more channels than before. This wide stream of information changes our understanding and beliefs about events of the real world captured from many different sources. Citizens as human beings are as vulnerable as before to make up their mind with first impression, with correctly colored source (ethos) and with feelings (pathos) more than facts (logos). Thus adversary utilizing information channels to deliver first information that surpasses threshold of observation, disguising their transmission amongst trusted sources and enveloping their message with emotional appeal is very difficult to identify, counter or correct later with facts. It is not possible to shut nation’s borders from information although China and other more authoritarian states are trying.
The commerce was attacked with economical restrictions, trade wars, shutting harbours and hoisting tariffs during pre II WW time. Now states and cities are more connected to each other with economical and logistical networks. A loss in one market is immediately infecting other markets as well. Davidow (2011) is even claiming that information network is over-connecting processes and events and they over-react to changes. Supply shortage or production difficulties of key products is affecting all markets via Just-On-Time supply chains. Commercial transactions halt in one part of world is crippling the global economy and thus effecting everyone. Goods are being produced with greater volumes in fewer places so national independency from imported goods is rare if not non-existent.
Picture 2: International relation between states of post-modern world
The education within state was attacked with infiltration of ideological teachers or seizing government bodies with collaborating political parties. Today education of Z generation especially in Europe and U.S. is increasingly supported by Internet and sometimes done only with self-learning. English as common language of all sciences is widespread and academic studies are written mostly in English thus academics in native speaking states have advantage over others. There is no powerful measures left to educate values or culture needed for integrity of nation in crises. Only language, history or religion remain usable in some countries, when supporting the will of a nation.
Infrastructure was more state defined in pre II WW times. Air lines, railroads, highways and partly also shipping companies were all or partly state owned. Energy was provided by state organizations and even some of the heavy industry was state controlled. Now all networks of transportation, energy and logistics are multivendor co-operation with international investments. Radio and television stations, newspapers and telecommunication are mostly privatized and internationally owned. Infrastructure is managed by information and applications running sometimes over Internet. If the state plans to close borders cutting those networks, the society will suffer major effects of shortage and cuts in very basics of normal living.
There are few basic features that keep this complex network running:
If flow of information is interfered, everything else is lost with time.
Since states have recognized these vulnerabilities, they have included information and connectivity within their national defence doctrines. The Russian doctrine from 2000 is stating that foreign interference with information warfare methods is being considered as a declaration of war and might be countered by using nuclear armament.
Picture 3: National Security Concept of Russia since 2000
Russian art of operation has recognized the change as well in the following way:
Picture 4: On-time information is more important to individual feeling of safety
As Internet is becoming more important for people to do business, socialize and educate themselves, the misbehaving bodies of criminals and other parties do find Internet a global venue to affect people and gain economical values. This creates professionally generated threats that haunts at personal level every day:
Picture 5: People are afraid of online malice by BSI study from early 2000
Enterprises, companies and other organizations are afraid of:
Picture 6: What European companies are afraid of according to survey made within European Companies on 2000
Globalized information societies are very dependent on eFinance. Electronic transactions between banks, stock exchanges, business to business and retail customer to banks do carry a lot of financial value and for global economy safe and reliable electronic transaction service is one of the most critical assets. For example within U.S. electronic finance structure the following value transactions were happening in early 2000:
As societies, people and business are becoming more dependent of Internet information, services and its structure, the technology itself is becoming more vulnerable. There has been almost exponential increase of reported vulnerabilities in information and communications technology during last decade. This is mostly due the nature of Internet being enormous system of systems without any controls and driven by consumer markets which is forcing to introduce more complex services with faster pace to fulfil different needs of a user (mainly social).
Picture 7: Information technology is increasingly valuable according CERT/CC reports on recognized vulnerabilities in IT on 2007
Picture 8: One scenario of changing post-modern world
The Global Environment is presenting restrictions, possibilities and misuses of human kind. There is a lack of rare raw material assets, current energy sources are emptying, climate is chancing and pollution is affecting people, global economy is changing while looking for more cost-effective production methods and optimizing the transportation costs of raw material and products, cultures and societies are changing when individual needs and behaviour is changing. Furthermore the pace of global change is accelerating. Many things are changing simultaneously and super-connected world may react drastically or unintentionally.
The division between small and large enterprises is increasing. Bigger global companies are getting bigger by creating economical and retail networks (for example Apple Inc. has leverage in popular culture) while smaller companies are even smaller but more specialized products. Every company faces more frequent change of markets or production structure than ever before thus life cycle of a company today is exponentially shorter than 100 years ago. Open market economy is dividing more effectively good products from not so good products fuelled by better information. Customers are changing their consuming habits faster fuelled by information intensive marketing.
The selfishness of states is retained even they are allied in one way or another. Interstates relations are effected by everyday politics powered by global and social media more than ever before. States consider continuous growth of GPD to be the best tool to ensure better living for their citizens thus they are facing harder competition between other states that are seeking growing as well. In one had states are allying to enforce their inner markets and be more powerful to defend their interests on material, energy and people. On the other hand some states are falling apart being “remains from imperialistic era”; being divided by economy, religion or society; being disintegrated because of weak leadership, economical structure, suffer of its citizens or by forces effecting from outside of country. Contemporary states may be “more together” on regional, resource or economy level giving away some of the state’s independency but gaining other possibilities for growth. People in other states may feel they can be more separately thus driving power to cities or metropolis.
Whatever the entity, some degree of alliance and networking is needed in order any society to exist in global pressure. Networking means that specialization becomes more effective, thus enforcing structural changes in each and every society striving for potentiality of Reed’s law. When networking and specialization creates more interdependency, a small event somewhere in network may have bigger effect when multiplied by connectivity and quick reactions. While number of participants in the network is increasing, cross-purposes area also increasing and possibility to implement a strong strategy is lessening.
With more networked societies and their surface of vulnerability more exposed, the tools used in confrontations are many more than before. This is defined in next picture.
Picture 9: Evolution of society and area of military operations
In agricultural society food was the primer for confrontation and massing people tool to project force. In industrial society material, energy and people were the primer for confrontation and massing systems and fire was tool to solve them. In information society services are the primer for confrontation and massing effects the tool to solve them. Interdependence, number of stake holders and avenues to effect have increased thus friction defined by Clausewitz in space of operation is more eminent and insight of a phenomenon more difficult to obtain.
First chapter describes how information is changing intertwining structure of people and machines globally thus making it more vulnerable for Information Operations measures.
Second chapter is defining main measures and avenues of approach that may be used in Information Operations.
Third chapter is describing Information Society as a target and measures of defence.
Fourth chapter is opening the confrontation of Information Age and defining different national defence concepts for their vulnerable information assets.
Trust of a human being in to one’s own understanding, trust between people and people’s trust to information and machines are main targets for Information Operations. Information technology is enabling a plethora of new ways to attack on that trust, whilst information and communications technology also enables more effective and efficient ways to project other means of force.
1. INFORMATION AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY IS CHANCING INTERDEPENDENCY BETWEEN STATES
Interdependency between states and other societies is increasing when comparing pre II WW time and today. National borders and interstate interactions were clearly defined and governmentally controlled. In post-modern world of today all levels of state’s functions – culture, commerce, education and infrastructure – are intertwining across national and other domain borders.
Picture 1: International relations between states of pre II WW era
Pre II WW national culture was attacked by propaganda that was easily recognized in adversary radio transmissions or leaflets. This propaganda was easily countered by national broadcasts and official newspapers telling official facts. Today we face complex flow of information, news and multicolored content from different sources of entertainment, societies of network gaming, commercial adds, news media, social media and blogs delivered by many more channels than before. This wide stream of information changes our understanding and beliefs about events of the real world captured from many different sources. Citizens as human beings are as vulnerable as before to make up their mind with first impression, with correctly colored source (ethos) and with feelings (pathos) more than facts (logos). Thus adversary utilizing information channels to deliver first information that surpasses threshold of observation, disguising their transmission amongst trusted sources and enveloping their message with emotional appeal is very difficult to identify, counter or correct later with facts. It is not possible to shut nation’s borders from information although China and other more authoritarian states are trying.
The commerce was attacked with economical restrictions, trade wars, shutting harbours and hoisting tariffs during pre II WW time. Now states and cities are more connected to each other with economical and logistical networks. A loss in one market is immediately infecting other markets as well. Davidow (2011) is even claiming that information network is over-connecting processes and events and they over-react to changes. Supply shortage or production difficulties of key products is affecting all markets via Just-On-Time supply chains. Commercial transactions halt in one part of world is crippling the global economy and thus effecting everyone. Goods are being produced with greater volumes in fewer places so national independency from imported goods is rare if not non-existent.
Picture 2: International relation between states of post-modern world
The education within state was attacked with infiltration of ideological teachers or seizing government bodies with collaborating political parties. Today education of Z generation especially in Europe and U.S. is increasingly supported by Internet and sometimes done only with self-learning. English as common language of all sciences is widespread and academic studies are written mostly in English thus academics in native speaking states have advantage over others. There is no powerful measures left to educate values or culture needed for integrity of nation in crises. Only language, history or religion remain usable in some countries, when supporting the will of a nation.
Infrastructure was more state defined in pre II WW times. Air lines, railroads, highways and partly also shipping companies were all or partly state owned. Energy was provided by state organizations and even some of the heavy industry was state controlled. Now all networks of transportation, energy and logistics are multivendor co-operation with international investments. Radio and television stations, newspapers and telecommunication are mostly privatized and internationally owned. Infrastructure is managed by information and applications running sometimes over Internet. If the state plans to close borders cutting those networks, the society will suffer major effects of shortage and cuts in very basics of normal living.
There are few basic features that keep this complex network running:
- flow of information supports the transparency between entities
- flow of information and monetary transactions supports the trust between entities
- flow of information and keeping contracts fills the caps of trust between entities.
If flow of information is interfered, everything else is lost with time.
Since states have recognized these vulnerabilities, they have included information and connectivity within their national defence doctrines. The Russian doctrine from 2000 is stating that foreign interference with information warfare methods is being considered as a declaration of war and might be countered by using nuclear armament.
Picture 3: National Security Concept of Russia since 2000
Russian art of operation has recognized the change as well in the following way:
- the effect of information warfare has increased with the emerge of global information space and its usage
- the theory of information warfare is based on the laws of physics, interaction of and within societies, principals, means and tools, that enables one to gain information superiority over opponent
- information war is waged both during peace and war
- the increasing dependability on information in state affairs and every level of military action is enforcing information warfare to be an independent branch of operations
- base for information warfare is created by psychological warfare, deception and operations security.
1.1 Information and ICT is chancing the intertwined structure between people, companies, public sector and global media
Citizens of information society are more relying on real time news of their family members and other interests. If flow of information is closed, citizens will become more afraid and vulnerable to misinformation. All basic functions of information society is using systems, networks and information to be able to execute their tasks. If those assets are interfered, government agencies functions are seized up and trust of citizens is lost. During 2007 certain parties made effort to create fear amongst people and pressure governments of Estonia and Finland (See April 2007 of Estonian Bronze statue crises) with following attack profile:- Attack most used web pages in order to get public interest: broadcast company, most used chat –service, number and information service desk
- Disable ebanking and ecommerce to affect people’s everyday business
- Separate people from governmental bodies and their information channels to prevent information flow and spread propaganda with other means to mould people’s feelings, talks and spirit.
Picture 4: On-time information is more important to individual feeling of safety
As Internet is becoming more important for people to do business, socialize and educate themselves, the misbehaving bodies of criminals and other parties do find Internet a global venue to affect people and gain economical values. This creates professionally generated threats that haunts at personal level every day:
- malware like viruses, worms and trojan horses
- spam of email, chat, advertisements, etc.
- spyware that is injected in to users terminal and using man-in-the-middle tools sniffs user behaviour, identity information or critical transactions and forwards that information to be further misused
- phishing and other means of social engineering that tries to get key information or monetary value out from ordinary users pretending query to be authorized (social engineering).
Enterprises, companies and other organizations are afraid of:
- their own employees to misuse their trust or unintentionally cause critical events (like in the famous event of one English Commercial Bank making bankruptcy because of one of its trusted employees failed in Asian brokerage markets)
- their former employees that know critical information or still possesses access to company’s critical assets
- other companies – rivals – to steal their inventions or valuable information
- hackers and crackers with criminal intentions or just some people trying to gain fame by breaching company’s security measures
- foreign states, which intelligence gathering bodies are supporting their national enterprises with R&D information or bidding information to gain upper hand in commercial competition.
Globalized information societies are very dependent on eFinance. Electronic transactions between banks, stock exchanges, business to business and retail customer to banks do carry a lot of financial value and for global economy safe and reliable electronic transaction service is one of the most critical assets. For example within U.S. electronic finance structure the following value transactions were happening in early 2000:
- During 2001 Fedwire executed 112 455 615 value transactions averaging $3,77 Million and transferring $1, 682 Trillion worth of financial value a day.
- CHIPS, that is handling 95% of USD international payment, did transfer average $1,3 Trillion a day
- SWIFT forwarded 1,27 Billion transactions on 2000, averaging 5 Million messages per day and $6 Trillion value per day.
As societies, people and business are becoming more dependent of Internet information, services and its structure, the technology itself is becoming more vulnerable. There has been almost exponential increase of reported vulnerabilities in information and communications technology during last decade. This is mostly due the nature of Internet being enormous system of systems without any controls and driven by consumer markets which is forcing to introduce more complex services with faster pace to fulfil different needs of a user (mainly social).
Picture 7: Information technology is increasingly valuable according CERT/CC reports on recognized vulnerabilities in IT on 2007
1.2 Trends of future
The human kind is undergoing a continuous migration within structures of economy, nationality, religion, values and interests of people. One example of this migration is depicted in following picture.Picture 8: One scenario of changing post-modern world
The Global Environment is presenting restrictions, possibilities and misuses of human kind. There is a lack of rare raw material assets, current energy sources are emptying, climate is chancing and pollution is affecting people, global economy is changing while looking for more cost-effective production methods and optimizing the transportation costs of raw material and products, cultures and societies are changing when individual needs and behaviour is changing. Furthermore the pace of global change is accelerating. Many things are changing simultaneously and super-connected world may react drastically or unintentionally.
The division between small and large enterprises is increasing. Bigger global companies are getting bigger by creating economical and retail networks (for example Apple Inc. has leverage in popular culture) while smaller companies are even smaller but more specialized products. Every company faces more frequent change of markets or production structure than ever before thus life cycle of a company today is exponentially shorter than 100 years ago. Open market economy is dividing more effectively good products from not so good products fuelled by better information. Customers are changing their consuming habits faster fuelled by information intensive marketing.
The selfishness of states is retained even they are allied in one way or another. Interstates relations are effected by everyday politics powered by global and social media more than ever before. States consider continuous growth of GPD to be the best tool to ensure better living for their citizens thus they are facing harder competition between other states that are seeking growing as well. In one had states are allying to enforce their inner markets and be more powerful to defend their interests on material, energy and people. On the other hand some states are falling apart being “remains from imperialistic era”; being divided by economy, religion or society; being disintegrated because of weak leadership, economical structure, suffer of its citizens or by forces effecting from outside of country. Contemporary states may be “more together” on regional, resource or economy level giving away some of the state’s independency but gaining other possibilities for growth. People in other states may feel they can be more separately thus driving power to cities or metropolis.
Whatever the entity, some degree of alliance and networking is needed in order any society to exist in global pressure. Networking means that specialization becomes more effective, thus enforcing structural changes in each and every society striving for potentiality of Reed’s law. When networking and specialization creates more interdependency, a small event somewhere in network may have bigger effect when multiplied by connectivity and quick reactions. While number of participants in the network is increasing, cross-purposes area also increasing and possibility to implement a strong strategy is lessening.
With more networked societies and their surface of vulnerability more exposed, the tools used in confrontations are many more than before. This is defined in next picture.
Picture 9: Evolution of society and area of military operations
In agricultural society food was the primer for confrontation and massing people tool to project force. In industrial society material, energy and people were the primer for confrontation and massing systems and fire was tool to solve them. In information society services are the primer for confrontation and massing effects the tool to solve them. Interdependence, number of stake holders and avenues to effect have increased thus friction defined by Clausewitz in space of operation is more eminent and insight of a phenomenon more difficult to obtain.
1.3 Summary of new dependencies and exposed vulnerabilities
Global dependency of information and IC –technology is creating an attractive target for force projection and venue to change behaviour of people and societies:- Information and networks are more important for western states to govern their assets and interests especially, when public sector will take further measures to rationalize governance functions and cut number of people currently employed in public sector
- People of westernized societies are more dependent on ICT and when being banned from Internet or being attacked with propaganda they will more probably change their behaviour
- Economy, Finance and logistics have networks that are imperative to all information transactions included in global commerce. Banning this ability or manipulating its content may have major effect on peoples and organizations behaviour.
- As the use of ICT is spreading in both Private and Public sector and further with Internet and consumer electronics, the surface of its vulnerability is spreading. Next wave of network of machines and migration to semantic content in WWW will accelerate vulnerabilities, threats and effect in exponential way towards pervasive or ubiquitous computing. Extending use of ICT in healthcare will inevitable produce victims caused by security breech.
To Be Continued...
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