Cyberwarfare

Abstract

"Global networking opens new opportunities for prosperity, education and democratic participation. At the same time, new threat horizons open in cyberspace. Recent years have seen a considerable increase in both the volume and sophistication of cyberattacks. One need only recall the 2007 denial-of-service attacks in Estonia, or the manipulation of Iranian nuclear facilities by Stuxnet in 2010. Fueled by a strategic prioritization of military cyber capacities – especially in the United States and China, who are unanimous in classifying cyberspace as a new domain of warfare – these cyberattacks have triggered a controversial debate over the application of international law, notably the right of (military) self-defense in cyberspace and the applicability of the law of war in connection with future cyber conflicts (cyberwarfare).