Why Defensive Measures Are Too Defensive: Strategy of Denial

Abstract

In this chapter, I take three steps to discuss the merits and demerits of denial strategy. First, I explore how the strategy is designed to protect defenders from attackers in authoritarian regimes. I also point out a range of challenges that democracies have faced in cyberspace, which has generated preference for restraint and made denial defense a default response for many states. The second section focuses on challenges with denial strategy, including those of technical, political, and strategic nature, which render it a subpar strategy after all. Finally, I stress the importance of defensive interventions after breaches and examine how democracies may recover from incidents.