Civilian Participation in CyberConflict
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This document summarizes preliminary research on civilian participation in cyber conflict. It presents initial findings from a study examining factors that predict willingness to conduct cyber and physical attacks against foreign countries or one's own homeland. Key predictors of more severe attacks included higher technical skills, identifying as non-US, greater willingness to attack physically, and more software/media piracy. The study aims to collect more international data to further analyze predictors of civilian cyber warrior behavior and refine statistical models.
Civilian Participation in CyberConflict
- 1. Civilian Participation in CyberConflict A Preliminary Analysis Max Kilger, Ph.D. Profiler The Honeynet Project Tom Holt, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Michigan State University GMUICC 2011 Workshop Cyber Security and Global Affairs Budapest May, 2011 1
- 2. The Special Case of the Civilian Cyber Warrior • Traditional forms of aggression • Personal costs • Economic • Probability of getting caught • Legal consequences • Historical and social significance of emergence of civilian cyber warrior • Key point – the social psychological significance of the event • First time in history that an individual could cost-effectively attack a nation state • The reassessment of the usual assumptions of the inequalities of the levels of power between nation states and citizens – establishes new relationships between institutions of society, 2 government and individuals
- 3. Dependent Variable Design Civilian Cyber Warrior Study Design Target of Attack Type of Attack Foreign Country Homeland Cyber Cell 1 Cell 2 Physical Cell 4 Cell 3 3
- 4. Preliminary Data and Model Statistical Model Building • We are starting to get some preliminary data • Respondents are undergrad and grad students at a large Midwest university • Also beginning to build some preliminary statistical models • We’re looking for other universities to collaborate with for cross-national comparisons 4
- 5. Different Social Dimensions Under Investigation as Related to Civilian Cyber Warrior Behavior • Civilian Cyber Warrior study is concentrating on.. • Dependent variables • Willingness to commit acts of cyber terror against another country • Willingness to commit acts of cyber terror against their own country • Willingness to commit acts of physical terror against another country • Willingness to commit acts of physical terror against their own country 5
- 6. Physical Attack Scale Against Foreign Country • Imagine that the country of Bagaria has recently promoted national policies and taken physical actions that have had negative consequences to the country that you most closely associate as your home country or homeland. These policies and actions have also resulted in significant hardships for the people in your home country. • What actions do you think would be appropriate for you to take against Bagaria given their policies and physical actions against your home country? You may choose as many actions as you think the situation warrants. In this scenario, you may assume that you have the necessary skills to carry out any of the actions below. Do nothing � let your country work it out on its own 151 42.30% Write a letter to government of Bagaria protesting their actions 192 53.78% Participate in a protest at an anti-Bagaria rally 207 57.98% Travel to Bagaria and protest at their country�s capitol building 90 25.21% Travel to Bagaria and confront a Bagarian senior government official about their 68 19.05% policies Travel to Bagaria and sneak into a military base to write slogans on buildings and 7 1.96% vehicles Travel to Bagaria and physically damage an electrical power substation 8 2.24% Travel to Bagaria and damage a government building with an explosive device 2 0.56% 6
- 7. Cyber Attack Against Foreign Country • Aside from physical activity, what on-line activities do you think would be appropriate for you to take against Bagaria given their policies and physical actions against your home country? You may choose as many actions as you think the situation warrants. In this scenario, you may assume that you have the necessary skills to carry out any of the actions below Do nothing � let your country work it out on its own 140 39.22% Post a comment on a social networking website like Facebook or Twitter that 272 76.19% criticizes the Bagarian government Deface the personal website of an important Bagarian government official 41 11.48% Deface an important official Bagarian government website 39 10.92% Compromise the server of a Bagarian bank and withdraw money to give to the 18 5.04% victims of their policies and actions Search Bagarian government servers for secret papers that you might be able to 35 9.80% use to embarrass the Bagarian government Compromise one or more Bagarian military servers and make changes that might 24 6.72% temporarily affect their military readiness Compromise one of Bagaria�s regional power grids which results in a temporary 11 3.08% power blackout in parts of Bagaria Compromise a nuclear power plant system that results in a small release of 7 1 0.28% radioactivity in Bagaria
- 8. Physical Attack Scale Against Homeland • Imagine that the country that you most closely associate as your home country or homeland has recently promoted national policies and taken physical actions that have had negative consequences to your home country. These policies and actions have resulted in significant hardships for the people in your home country. • What actions do you think would be appropriate for you to take against your home country given their policies and physical actions? You may choose as many actions as you think the situation warrants. In this scenario, you may assume that you have the necessary skills to carry out any of the actions below. Do nothing � let your country work it out on its own 116 32.49% Write a letter to your home country's government protesting their actions 248 69.47% Participate in a protest against your home country at an anti-government rally 223 62.46% Protest at your home country�s capitol building 194 54.34% Confront one of your home contry's senior government official about their policies 107 29.97% Sneak into a military base in your home country to write slogans on buildings and 10 2.80% vehicles Physically damage an electrical power substation in your home country 6 1.68% Damage a government building in your home country with an explosive device 3 0.84% 8
- 9. Cyber Attack Against Homeland • Aside from physical activity, what on-line activities do you think would be appropriate for you to take against your home country given their policies and physical actions? You may choose as many actions as you think the situation warrants. In this scenario, you may assume that you have the necessary skills to carry out any of the actions below. Do nothing � let your country work it out on its own 131 36.69% Post a comment on a social networking website like Facebook or Twitter that 276 77.31% criticizes your home country's government Deface the personal website of an important government official for your home 47 13.17% country Deface an important official government website for your home country 43 12.04% Compromise the server of a bank and withdraw money to give to the victims of the 15 4.20% government's policies and actions Search your home country's government servers for secret papers that you might 35 9.80% be able to use to embarrass the government Compromise one or more of your home country's military servers and make 16 4.48% changes that might temporarily affect their military readiness Compromise one of your home country's regional power grids which results in a 6 1.68% temporary power blackout in parts of your home country Compromise a nuclear power plant system that results in a small release of 9 3 0.84% radioactivity in your home country
- 10. Different Social Dimensions Under Investigation as Related to Civilian Cyber Warrior Behavior • Civilian Cyber Warrior study is concentrating on.. • Independent predictor variables including • Level of skill • Level of emotive national identity • Level of nationalistic ethnocentrism • Level of antagonism towards outgroups • Level of belief in equality for groups • Level of piracy of software and media • Homeland – US or non-US declared as homeland • Demographics 10
- 11. Independent Variables • Emotive National identity • I am proud to be a citizen of my home country. • In a sense I am emotionally attached to my home country and am emotionally affected by its actions. • Although at times I may not agree with the government, my commitment to my home country always remains strong. • I feel a great pride in the land that is my home country. • When I see my home country's flag flying I feel great. • The fact that I am a citizen of my home country is an important part of my identity. 11
- 12. Independent Variables • Belief in Group Equality • It would be good if groups could be equal. • Group equality should be our ideal. • All groups should be given an equal chance in life. • We should do what we can to equalize conditions for different groups. • We would have fewer problems if we treated people more equally. • We should strive to make incomes as equal as possible. • No group should dominate in society. 12
- 13. Independent Variables • Outgroup Antagonism • Some groups of people are simply inferior to other groups. • If certain groups stayed in their place, we would have fewer problems. • It's probably a good thing that certain groups are at the top and other groups are at the bottom. • Inferior groups should stay in their place. • Sometimes other groups must be kept in their place. 13
- 14. Independent Variables • Nationalistic Ethnocentricity • Other countries should try to make their government as much like my home country's government as possible. • Generally, the more influence my home country has on other nations, the better off they are. • Foreign nations have done some very fine things but my home country does things in the best way of all. • Age • Gender 14
- 15. Independent Variables • What country do they consider their homeland? • United States • Non-United States • Computer Skill – Advanced Skill Factor • Using an operating system like Unix or Linux • Using a standard computer programming or scripting language like C++, Perl, or Java • Installing an operating system like Unix or Linux 15
- 16. Predicting Cyber Attack Against Homeland • Using these independent variables in a multiple regression analysis, it appears that four factors predict cyber attacks against their homeland • Emotive national identity** • Negative relationship – less emotional identity equals more severe cyber attack magnitude • Homeland* • Non-US homeland individuals more severe cyber attack than US homeland individuals • Willingness to perform a physical attack*** • Positive relationship – more severe physical attack means more severe cyber attack • Pirate software or media*** • Positive relationship – more piracy activity means more severe16
- 17. Predicting Physical Attack Against Homeland • Using these independent variables in a multiple regression analysis, it appears that five factors predict physical attacks against their homeland • Advanced cyber skills* • Positive relationship - the higher the technical skills of the individual the more severe the physical attack • Homeland * • US homeland individuals more severe physical attack than non-US homeland individuals • Willingness to perform a cyber attack*** • Positive relationship – the more severe the cyber attack means the more severe physical attack contemplated • Pirate software or media*** • Positive relationship – more piracy activity means more severe17
- 18. Predicting Physical Attack Against Homeland • Using these independent variables in a multiple regression analysis, it appears that five factors predict physical attacks against their homeland • Outgroup antagonism* • Negative relationship - the lower level of antagonism towards outgroups, the more severe the physical attack • That is, individuals who are sympathetic to groups of people unlike themselves propose more severe physical attack responses on their own homeland – “the activist effect” 18
- 19. Next Steps • Working on building foreign country cyber and physical attack statistical models – they seem to be a bit tougher • Continue to gather more data and refine analyses • Encourage collaboration in collecting data from other universities both in the US and other countries • Taiwan team already onboard • Working on putting together an Italian team • Saudis are interested but there is some (we think) governmental pressure on the in-country university 19
- 20. Contact Information • Tom Holt – holtt @ msu.edu • Max Kilger – maxk @ smrb.com 20
Editor's Notes
- #2: This is the agenda we will be following for today.