Focusing on Mission and Business Objectives Through a Different Lens: The New Cyber Offensive

Abstract

The blueprint for engaging in cyberspace has largely been designed and implemented by the military due to the nature of its roles and responsibilities. On the global stage, safety, security, prevention, and resolution of conflicts generally fall squarely within the purview of the military. Conflicts and challenges in the traditional domains of engagement (air, space, land, and maritime) can usually be viewed in and approached from an apples-to-apples context by the military. However, the cyberspace domain because of its inherent asymmetry and low requirements for entry requires that the public and private sectors be viewed as viable participants and combatants. In addition, unfortunately, these two sectors also provide an incredibly rich target space. The military culture has viewed cyberspace primarily from a defensive and reactive posture. However, cyberspace dictates that a much broader position is taken because the public and private sectors require and provide different context and scales that fall outside of the military’s normal scope and obligations. Offensive cyber operations are spoken of only in very select circles and most likely in retaliation and secondary to mission and business priorities and objectives. In this effort, I will provide a “new” perspective on cyber offensive operations and how they can be used to better address mission and business priorities. The case studies utilized in this effort show that mission and business priorities can not only be addressed proactively but also yield significant benefits to organizations, agencies, and communities if offense is viewed through a different “lens.”