Reference no: EM132444013

CPOL 523: Cyber Warfare Strategy and Policy - Catholic University

Learninq Outcomes: During this course, students will demonstrate an understanding of:

1) the evolution of cyber warfare and the basic characteristics and methods of CNA, CND, and CNE;

2) the current national policies, doctrines, and strategies relative to cyber warfare; and

3) the potential impact of cyber warfare on future international conflicts.

Analytic Policy Memo: Students will write an analytic policy memo addressed to the National Security Council's Cybersecurity Coordinator regarding a specific scenario assigned during the course. This memo should be between 1,000-1,500 words in length and directly address the policy issues presented in the scenario, identify options, and offer specific recommendations.

Research Paper: Students will write an approximately 4.000-word (15 pages, double spaced) research paper on an approved topic of their choice related to CNA and/or CNE.

Part One: Introduction to Cyberspace and Cyber Warfare (Offense and Defense)

Module One:

Learning Activity:
o In the discussion board, post an introduction of yourself, discussing 1) your background, and 2) what you hope to get out of this course/why you are taking this course.
o Consider what module you would like to sign up to serve as a discussion leader and sign up before the end of the first week.
o To maintain situational awareness of cyber current events during the course (and after, if you wish), subscribe to:
Council on Foreign Relations "Net Politics" blog updates

Module Two: Introduction to the Cyberspace Domain and Cyber Conflict

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:
o How did the history of the Internet's formation shape its security concerns today?
o In what ways is cyberspace analogous to the "natural" physical domains of land, sea, air, and water? In what ways is it different?

Module Three: Computer Network Exploitation and Cyber Crime

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following
o Is it important to distinguish between different types of cyber attacks?
How should we do it?
o What risk, if any, do breakthroughs in quantum computing, neuromorphic computing, etc. pose to modern cryptography as an effective method to defend against CNE?

Module Four: Computer Network Attack

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:
o Is cyberspace at risk of being "militarized"?
o Is CNA properly categorized as a form of warfare/armed conflict or sabotage/clandestine action? Why does the answer matter?

Module Five: Computer Network Defense and Response

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:
o What is the greatest challenge facing the United States in defending against cyber attacks, and why?
o Where does the responsibility of private firms begin and end in cybersecurity?

Module Six: Cyber Deterrence

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:
o What kind of cyber attacks, if any, can be reliably deterred, and why?
o What will be the greatest impact on international relations of the fact that cyberspace appears to be offense-dominant?

Part Two: State-Based Cyber Warfare

Module Seven: U.S. and Israeli Cyber Warfare

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:
o What are the implications of the U.S.'s shift to focus on persistent engagement in cyberspace and why did it pursue this new approach?
o What can the United States learn from Israel's approach to cyber warfare?

Module Eight: Chinese and Russian Cyber Warfare

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:
o How might China use cyber weapons should a conflict with the U.S. occur over the South China Sea or Taiwan?
• What does Russia's use of cyber operations alongside physical operations in Georgia and Ukraine signal for the future of cyber warfare?

Module Nine: Iranian and North Korean Cyber Warfare

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:
o What does Iran and North Korea's development of sophisticated cyber capabilities portend for the international diffusion of cyber weapons?
Had the United States and/or Israel not allegedly engaged in CNA operations against Iran (e.g. Stuxnet), would Iran have still have developed its cyber capabilities?

Module Ten: Ethics, Norms, and International Law for Cyber Warfare

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:

Should the U.S. unilaterally disavow offensive certain cyber weapons (as President Nixon did with offensive biological weapons) in order to promote a norm against possessing or using such weapons?

o Would using ISPs to cut off/block all Internet traffic from a country and effectively enact a "cyber blockade" be an act of war in cyberspace?

• Analytic Policy Memo Due (emailed to instructor who will then upload/post in Module Eleven, per below)

Part Three: Non-State Cyber Warfare

Module Eleven: Terrorism and Cyberspace

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:

What recommended options from your colleagues' analytic policy memos did you find 1) most compelling and 2) least compelling? Please explain your rationale for each.

o Why have terrorists not yet successfully conducted a major CNA-style attack in cyberspace?

Module Twelve: Hackers and Social Activism

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:
o How do non-state actors use cyberspace to promote advocacy or achieve objectives? How is this activity evolving and where might it go in the future?
o Can you truly be anonymous online? Should you be?
Part Four: The Future of Cyber Warfare

Module Thirteen: The Future Cyber Warfare: U.S. Dimensions

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:
o How, if at all, should the United States share identified zero-day vulnerabilities with private industry to mitigate the vulnerability?
o Should the United States issue letters of marque and reprisal to authorize private persons (privateers) to "hack back" and attack and destroy bad actors in cyberspace?

Module Fourteen: The Future of Cyber Warfare: International Dimensions

Learning Activity: In the discussion board, respond to the following:
o What are the emerging and future technologies that we will have to worry the most about from a security perspective?
o Who will win the fight for the future of 5G and why does this matter?

Attachment:- Cyber Warfare Strategy and Policy.rar