"The chances are growing that the United States will find itself in a crisis in cyberspace, with the escalation of tensions associated with a major cyberattack, suspicions that one has taken place, or fears that it might do so soon. The genesis for this work was the broader issue of how the Air Force should integrate kinetic and nonkinetic operations. Central to this process was careful consideration of how escalation options and risks should be treated, which, in turn, demanded a broader consideration across the entire crisis-management spectrum. Such crises can be managed by taking steps to reduce the incentives for other states to step into crisis, by controlling the narrative, understanding the stability parameters of the crises, and trying to manage escalation if conflicts arise from crises."--P. [4] of cover.

To what extent do cyberspace operations increase the risks of escalation between nation-state rivals? Scholars and practitioners have been concerned about cyber escalation for decades, but the question remains hotly debated. The issue is increasingly important for international politics as more states develop and employ offensive cyber capabilities, and as the international system is increasingly characterized by emergent multipolarity. In Escalation Dynamics in Cyberspace, Erica D. Lonergan and Shawn W. Lonergan tackle this question head-on, presenting a comprehensive theory that explains the conditions under which cyber operations may lead to escalation. In doing so, they challenge long-held assumptions about strategic interactions in cyberspace, arguing that cyberspace is not as dangerous as the conventional wisdom might suggest. In some cases, cyber operations could even facilitate the de-escalation of international crises. To support their claims, Lonergan and Lonergan test their theory against a range of in-depth case studies, including strategic interactions between the United States and key rivals; a series of case studies of the role of cyber operations in international crises; and plausible future scenarios involving cyber operations during conflict. They then apply their analytical insights to policymaking, making the case that skepticism is warranted about the overall efficacy of employing cyber power for strategic ends. By exploring the role of cyber operations in routine competition, crises, and warfighting, Escalation Dynamics in Cyberspace presents nuanced insights about how cyberspace affects international politics.

"The chances are growing that the United States will find itself in a crisis in cyberspace, with the escalation of tensions associated with a major cyberattack, suspicions that one has taken place, or fears that it might do so soon. The genesis for this work was the broader issue of how the Air Force should integrate kinetic and nonkinetic operations. Central to this process was careful consideration of how escalation options and risks should be treated, which, in turn, demanded a broader consideration across the entire crisis-management spectrum. Such crises can be managed by taking steps to reduce the incentives for other states to step into crisis, by controlling the narrative, understanding the stability parameters of the crises, and trying to manage escalation if conflicts arise from crises."--P. [4] of cover.

Cyber attacks and IT breakdowns threaten every organization. The incidents accumulate and often form the prelude to complex, existence-threatening crises. This book helps not only to manage them, but also to prepare for and prevent cyber crises. Structured in a practical manner, it is ideally suited for crisis team members, communicators, security, IT and data protection experts on a day-to-day basis. With numerous illustrations and checklists. This book is a translation of the original German 1st edition Cyber Crisis Management by Holger Kaschner, published by Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature in 2020. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.

Modern crises bargaining involves a mix of overt and covert cross-domain signals states use to manage escalation and provide options that might help them advance their interests short of war. Unlike the Cold War in the twentieth century, this competition involves a new domain: cyberspace. Whether massive military and commercial espionage campaigns or international extortion rings and theft, the cyber domain offers an outlet for states to advance their interests. Does the resulting cyber competition create new escalation risks? Do cyber operations alter how states respond to international crises in a way that creates incentives for decision makers to cross the Rubicon and use military force to settle disputes? The answer is surprising: no. To date, cyber operations have tended to offer great powers escalatory offramps. This issue brief draws on new academic research, simulations, and survey experiments to study how cyber operations alter crisis decision-making during great power competition. Specifically, it analyzes escalation pathways and how the informed public and foreign policy actors conceptualize disruptive technologies and integrate them into larger competitive strategies. Based on the evidence, cyber operations offer a valuable escalatory offramp. Even states with more escalatory attitudes tend not to respond militarily to disputes when they have the option of imposing costs and signaling through cyberspace.

Organizations around the world face a constant onslaught of attack from cyber threats. Whether it’s a nation state seeking to steal intellectual property or compromise an enemy’s critical infrastructure, a financially-motivated cybercriminal ring seeking to steal personal or financial data, or a social cause-motivated collective seeking to influence public opinion, the results are the same: financial, operational, brand, reputational, regulatory, and legal risks. Unfortunately, many organizations are under the impression their information technology incident response plans are adequate to manage these risks during a major cyber incident; however, that’s just not the case. A Cyber Crisis Management Plan is needed to address the cross-organizational response requirements in an integrated manner when a major cyber incident occurs. Cyber Crisis Management Planning: How to reduce cyber risk and increase organizational resilience provides a step-by-step process an organization can follow to develop their own plan. The book highlights a framework for a cyber crisis management plan and digs into the details needed to build the plan, including specific examples, checklists, and templates to help streamline the plan development process. The reader will also learn what’s needed from a project management perspective to lead a cyber crisis management plan development initiative, how to train the organization once the plan is developed, and finally, how to develop and run cyber war game tabletop exercises to continually validate and optimize the plan.