The Library of Sparta

The Library of Sparta
David Raymond
Greg Conti
Tom Cross
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Jean-Jacques-Fran%C3%A7ois_Le_Barbier_-_A_Spartan_Woman_Giving_a_Shield_to_Her_Son.jpg
0

Why, So What, and Who Cares…
You used to be fighting individuals . . .
now you are defending yourselves against nation-states 1

On the Internet, the offense
has all the cards
2

Foundations of Military Doctrine
Everything in war is very simple. But the simplest thing is difficult.
- Karl Von Clausewitz
3

Sources of Military Thought
● Military Theorists
● Doctrinal Manuals
● Print and Online Journals
§ Small Wars Journal
§ Parameters
§ Military Review
§ SIGNAL
§ … many more
● Policies
4

An Anathema to Some
“The most difficult thing about planning
against the Americans, is that they do not read
their own doctrine, and they would feel no
particular obligation to follow it if they did.”
Admiral Sergey Gorshkov
Commander, Soviet Naval Forces, 1956 - 1985
5

Kill Chain
Find
Fix
Track
Target
Engage
Assess
● US Air Force targeting methodology dating
to late 1990’s
● Also referred to by clever acronym:
F2T2EA
"In the first quarter of the 21st century,it will become possible to find, fix or
track, and target anything that moves on the surface of the Earth."
GEN Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF Chief of Staff
October 1996 6

Cyber Kill Chain
● Cyber Kill Chain first proposed in a 2010 Lockheed-Martin whitepaper:
“Intelligence-Driven Computer Network Defense Informed by Analysis of
Adversary Campaigns and Intrusion Kill Chains”, by Hutchins, et. al.
*Image source: NoVA Infosec, “Cyber Kill Chain 101.” May 2013, https://www.novainfosec.com/2013/05/29/cyber-kill-chain-101/
7

The Value of the Kill Chain
● Drives the defender to take a comprehensive view of the
lifecycle of an attack rather than focusing on a single
stage.
● Provides a framework for organizing artifacts of an
attack collected during an investigation.
● Turns asymmetry on its head – the attacker must
remain covert through each stage of their operation –
each stage presents the defender with an opportunity to
detect the attack.
8

Cyber Terrain Analysis
(OCOKA)
● Observation and Fields of Fire
What portions of my network can be seen from where?
● Cover and Concealment
What can I hide from observation?
● Obstacles
How can I make my network harder to attack?
● Key Terrain
Cyber terrain that can provide a ‘marked advantage’
● Avenues of Approach
Don’t just think of routers and cables . . .
9

Cyberspace Planes and Cyber
Terrain
● Supervisory plane
o Command and Control
● Cyber persona plane
o Persons or ‘accounts’
● Logical plane further divided into top 6
OSI layers (data link – application)
o Operating system and application programs
o Services – web, email, file systems
o Logical network protocols
● Physical plane == OSI PHY layer (layer 1)
o Network devices – switches, routers
● Geographic plane == physical location
o Location in which an info system resides
Most references to
cyber terrain
consider only the
physical plane.
For more on cyber terrain and cyber key terrain, see Raymond, et. al, “Key Terrain in Cyberspace: Seeking
the High Ground,” in 6th Annual NATO Conference on Cyber Conflict, Tallinn, Estonia, June 2014. 10

Leveraging Cyber Key Terrain
An approach to leveraging key terrain emerges
from considering the terrain analysis as an
attacker and as a defender.
As a defender:
o Identify Potentially Targeted Assets
o Enumerate Avenues of Approach
o Consider Observation and Fields of Fire
o Place Obstacles, Cover, and Concealment
11

Observation and Fields of
Fire
What does an attacker need access to in order to observe or attack a
particular interface associated with a potentially targeted asset?
This is an iterative analysis. For example, if the attacker needs
access to a particular network in order to reach a critical asset, how
can that network, in turn, be accessed?
It is through this iterative analysis that a picture of Key Terrain
begins to emerge, which include highly interconnected resources as
well as resources with connectivity to critical assets.
Its important to consider terrain that your organization doesn’t
control – attacks on supply chain integrity, waterhole attacks, etc…
12

Lessons from Cyber Terrain
Analysis
● Battlefield Terrain Analysis maps fairly closely to the
sort of analysis that network security people perform
when thinking about a network’s exposures.
● Defenders know the terrain they are defending –
attackers must discover it through iterative
reconnaissance.
● Defenders can exploit an attacker’s lack of knowledge of
the terrain.
13

Denial*
● Denial includes those measures designed to
hinder or deny the enemy the knowledge of
an object, by hiding or disrupting the means
of observation of the object.
● The basis of denial is dissimulation, the
concealing of the truth.
* Counterdeception Principles and Applications for National Security, Bennett & Waltz
14

Deception*
● Deception is actions executed to deliberately mislead
adversary military, paramilitary, or violent extremist
organization decision makers, thereby causing the
adversary to take specific actions (or inactions) that will
contribute to the accomplishment of the friendly
mission.
● The basis of deception is simulation, the presentation
of that which is false.
* JP 3-13.4, Military Deception, 26 January 2012, available at https://publicintelligence.net/jcs-mildec/
15

Network Denial & Deception
On the Internet, there is no way to tell whether or not
something is actually real.
● Denial
o Hidden file systems
o Real services on unusual ports
● Deception
o Fake database records (Canaries)
o Fake employees or user accounts
o Phoney systems and services
Remember - what is important to you isn’t necessarily
what is important to your adversary.
16

Exploiting the Human
● It is often observed that the human is the
weakest link in any network defense.
● Often, the human is also the weakest link in
any network offense.
● What are you doing in your network defense
to exploit the human behind the attacks that
are targeting you?
17

Operations Security
(OPSEC)*
● The OPSEC process is a systematic method
used to identify, control, and protect critical
information and subsequently analyze friendly
actions associated with military operations.
● The purpose of operations security (OPSEC) is to
reduce the vulnerability of US and
multinational forces from successful adversary
exploitation of critical information. OPSEC applies
to all activities that prepare, sustain, or employ
forces.
● There is an entire Joint Publication on OPSEC...
Joint Publication 3-13.3
* JP 3-13.3, Operations Security, 4 January 2012, available at https://publicintelligence.net/jcs-opsec/
18

So How Can Good OPSEC
Help Me?
Attackers:
● Secrecy of the fact of the operation
o Avoiding detection
o When detected, appear to be something else
● Secrecy of information about the operation
o Protect details of the operation
o Prevent defenders who are aware of the operation from being
able to stop it
o C&C addresses, vulnerabilities, malware samples, etc…
● Secrecy of the identity of the operators
o Prevent defenders from directly striking the attacker
o Is it possible to connect aspects of your operation to your real
identity and location?
19

So How Can Good OPSEC
Help Me?
Defenders:
● What can attackers learn about your organization
through open sources?
o Material for Spear Phishing attacks
o Aspects of your Information Security Program
o What products do you use?
o What do your IT staff say on their resumes,
linkedin profiles, and twitter accounts?
● Its hard for large commercial organizations to
maintain good OPSEC - focus on the most important
secrets.
21

The OPSEC Process from
JP3-13.3
1. Identification of Critical Information
What are you trying to protect?
2. Analysis of Threats
Who is trying to get it?
3. Analysis of Vulnerabilities
How might they get to it?
4. Assessment of Risk
Risk=threat X vulnerability; what are you willing to accept?
5. Application of Appropriate Operations Security
Countermeasures
Plug the holes!
22

What is Threat Intelligence?
00dbb9e1c09dbdafb360f3163ba5a3de
00f24328b282b28bc39960d55603e380
0115338e11f85d7a2226933712acaae8
0141955eb5b90ce25b506757ce151275
0149b7bd7218aab4e257d28469fddb0d
016da6ee744b16656a2ba3107c7a4a29
01e0dc079d4e33d8edd050c4900818da
024fd07dbdacc7da227bede3449c2b6a
0285bd1fbdd70fd5165260a490564ac8
02a2d148faba3b6310e7ba81eb62739d
02c65973b6018f5d473d701b3e7508b2
034374db2d35cf9da6558f54cec8a455
03ae71eba61af2d497e226da3954f3af
0469a42d71b4a55118b9579c8c772bb6
0496e3b17cf40c45f495188a368c203a
04a7b7dab5ff8ba1486df9dbe68c748c
04e83832146034f9797d2e8145413daa
04f481d6710ac5d68d0eacac2600a041
0501bb10d646b29cab7d17a8407010d9
0522e955aaee70b102e843f14c13a92c
052ec04866e4a67f31845d656531830d
0545a524a6bb0b042f4b00da53fec948
05552a77620933dd80f1e176736f8fe7
0583f58ac3d804d28cd433d369b096b8
0588ffa0a244a2c4431c5c4faac60b1f
aoldaily.com
aolon1ine.com
applesoftupdate.com
arrowservice.net
attnpower.com
aunewsonline.com
avvmail.com
bigdepression.net
bigish.net
blackberrycluter.com
blackcake.net
bluecoate.com
booksonlineclub.com
bpyoyo.com
businessconsults.net
businessformars.com
busketball.com
canadatvsite.com
canoedaily.com
chileexe77.com
cnndaily.com
cnndaily.net
cnnnewsdaily.com
12.38.236.32
71.6.141.230
72.240.45.65
203.231.234.23
202.64.109.187
223.25.233.36
23

Doctrinal Definition of
Intelligence
● Joint Publication 2-0, Joint Intelligence*:
“The product resulting from the collection, processing,
integration, evaluation, analysis, and interpretation of
available information concerning foreign nations,
hostile or potentially hostile forces or elements, or
areas of actual or potential operations.”
● In practice, it is a thorough analysis and
understanding of the threat’s capabilities,
strategy, and tactics and how they can be used on the
cyber terrain comprising your operational
environment.
* Definition from JP 2-0, Joint Intelligence, 22 October 2013, available at http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/index.html
24

The Intelligence Cycle
Planning and direction
Collection
Processing and exploitation
Analysis and production
Dissemination and integration
Evaluation and feedback
Nothing is more worthy of the attention of a good general than the
endeavor to penetrate the designs of the enemy.
Niccolò Machiavelli
Discourses, 1517
25
http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/adrp2_0.pdf

Characteristics of Effective
Intelligence
Information Quality Criteria
● Accuracy
● Timeliness
● Usability
● Completeness
● Precision
● Reliability
Additional Criteria
● Relevant
● Predictive
● Tailored
Commanders’ Considerations
include
Reducing operational uncertainty
Determine appropriate balance
between time alloted for collection
and operational necessity
Prioritize finite resources and
capabilities, including network
bandwidth
Employing internal and supporting
intel assets as well as planning,
coordinating, and articulating
requirements to leverage the entire
intelligence enterprise.
26
http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/adrp2_0.pdf

Tactics, Techniques, and
Procedures (TTPs)
Tactics - The employment and ordered arrangement of
forces in relation to each other
Techniques - Non-prescriptive ways or methods used to
perform missions, functions, or tasks
Procedures - Standard, detailed steps that prescribe how
to perform specific tasks
The term TTP is used to refer broadly to the actions that one
might take in a particular problem domain.
27
* JP 1-02, DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, 8 Nov. 2010, available at http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/

Risk Analysis
Intel Gain/Loss Calculus
● You’ve discovered an attacker in your network. You
could kick them out, but they’d notice that.
● How do you decide when to kick them out and when to
let them continue?
● Counter-intuitively, the risk of allowing them to
continue increases the more that you know about them.
28

The OODA Loop
● COL John Boyd, USAF
● Writings can be found at
http://dnipogo.org/john-r-boyd/, provided by the
Project on Government Oversight
29
Image from http://crossvale.com/blog/boiling-ocean-analysis-paralysis-and-ooda-loop

Simplified OODA in the
Context of Time
● Intelligence
o Observation
o Orientation
● Execution
o Decision
o Action
30

OODA for Cyber Security
Conflict: Red vs. Blue
Spin your loop faster than your adversary
31

OODA Loop Summary*
● Observation and Orientation (OO) increases your
perceptive boundaries.
Superior Situational Awareness
● Sampling Rate of the OO is relative to the rate of change
Fast enough to represent change
● Decision and Actions raise the cost to your adversaries’
Observation/Orientation
● Operate at a faster tempo or rhythm than our
adversaries
Ultimately you are making it more expensive for the
adversary to operate and hide
32
* TK Keanini - The OODA Loop: A Holistic Approach to Cyber Security - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBv82THpBVA

Targeting
Targeting: The process of selecting
and prioritizing targets and matching
the appropriate response to them.
Target: An entity or object considered
for possible engagement or action . . .
to support commander’s objectives.
Purpose: integrate and synchronize
fires into joint operations.
Joint Publication 3-60 Joint Targeting http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jointpub_operations.htm
Army FM 3-60 The Targeting Process http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/fm3_60.pdf 33

What is Targeting good for?
● Targeting is a continuous cycle
that begins with an analysis of
the effects the commander
wants to achieve
● Can be lethal or “non-lethal”
Effects might include
o Deceive
o Degrade
o Destroy
o Influence
● Gives commanders a
continuous process to
influence their battlespace
Targeting Methodology
DECIDE
Scheme of Maneuver/Fires, High-
Payoff Target List
DETECT
Execute Intelligence Collection
Plan
DELIVER
Execute Attack Guidance Matrix
ASSESS
Combat Assessment
34

How Does This Apply to
Cyber Ops?
Computer-based effects can be used as part of,
or instead of, lethal military action.
● Israeli cyber attack on Syrian air defense systems (2007)
● Russia’s coordinated virtual attack and physical
invasion of Georgia (2008)
● Stuxnet (2010)
35

Resources on Foreign
Doctrine and Strategy: China
● Timothy Thomas’ trilogy and Chinese
Information Warfare doctrine, published
by the Army’s Foreign Military Studies
Office at Fort Leavenworth.
o Dragon Bytes, 2003
o Decoding the Virtual Dragon, 2007
o The Dragon’s Quantum Leap, 2009
● Liang, Qiao and Xiangsui, Wang.
Unrestricted Warfare. Summaries and
translations abound on the web;
extensively covered in Thomas’ Chinese
IW trilogy.
36

More Foreign Doctrine and
Strategy: Russia
Russian Military Publications:
● “Doctrine of Information Security of the Russian
Federation” (2000)
● “Conceptual Views on the Activity of the Russian
Federation Armed Forces in Information
Space” (2011)
American Foreign Policy Council’s Defense Dossier:
● “How Russia Harnesses Cyberwarfare,” by David J.
Smith.
37

Great Resources for More
Information
DoD and Military Branch doctrine:
● Intelligence and Security Doctrine (including DoD and all military
branches) Federation of American Scientists’ Intelligence Resource
Program http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir
● DOD Dictionary. http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/dod_dictionary/
● Joint Doctrine. http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/doctrine/
● Army Doctrine. http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/Active_FM.html
Publications:
● Small Wars Journal: http://smallwarsjournal.com (all online content)
● Military review: http://militaryreview.army.mil (online and print)
● Parameters: http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters
(online and print). US Army War College quarterly journal.
● Army Branch Magazines (Armor magazine, Infantry magazine, Artillery
magazine, ArmyAviation magazine, etc.
● Combined Arms Research Digital Library: http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org
38

More resources
Military Theorists:
● Clausewitz, Carl von. On War, [available at www.clausewitz.com], 1832
● Jomini, Antoine Henri. The Art of War, [available at www.gutenberg.org],
1862
● Mitchell, William. Winged Defense: The Development and Possibilities of
Modern Air Power--Economic and Military. The University of Alabama
Press, Tuscaloosa, AL. 1925
● Coram, Robert. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War.
Little, Brown and Company, 2002
● Mao Zedong. On Guerilla Warfare, [Online]. Available at
http://www.marxists.org/, 1937
● Mahan, Alfred Thayer. The Influence of Sea Power Upon History: 1660 -
1783, Little, Brown and Co. 1890
● Lots more . . .
39

Yet more . . .
Conferences:
● NATO Conference on Cyber Conflict (CyCon):
http://ccdcoe.org/cycon/home.html
● IEEE/AFCEA Annual Military Communications Conference (MILCON):
http://www.milcom.org/
Other:
● Center for Army Lessons Learned: http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/call/
[See our whitepaper for lots more references!]
40

The Library of Sparta

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The Library of Sparta